


Dangan Literature Club V3: Everyone's Semester of Poetry

by booperbeanv3



Series: [NDRV3 x DDLC] Literature Club V3 : Poems Are Forever [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel), New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - No Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - No Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - No Ultimate Talents (Dangan Ronpa), Bisexual Saihara Shuichi, Doki Doki Literature Club! Spoilers, Inspired by Doki Doki Literature Club!, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Poems, Rating May Change, Slice of Life, Tags May Change, Will you promise to spend the most time with me?, [implied] - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:42:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 38,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27007534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booperbeanv3/pseuds/booperbeanv3
Summary: ❥Can you hear me?"You should join a club sometime!" Kaito exclaims, slapping a hand over his friend's shoulder—who makes an 'oof' sound in response.Shuuichi Saihara has never been one for these kind of things. But after some gentle [not-so-gentle] persuasion from his local literature club—he's been dragged in to a special kind of hell he never would have expected.-[I plan on updating weekly but things may change.]- [Act 1] -Chapter 1 :Literature Club V3Chapter 2 :Morning, Sleepyhead!Chapter 3 :Heart [and Head] Throbbing Panic!Chapter 4 :Bullet Time BattleChapter 5 :Brightest Star Admist A Meteor Shower- [Act 1.5] -Chapter 6 :Warm Goods, Warm Hands And Warm HeartsChapter 7 :Dearest Friend- [Act 2] -[ ON HIATUS -- FOR HOW LONG? MAN IDFK ][ in all seriousness, i feel like i'm being burnt out. contact me on social media listed in bio for extra info. ]
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede & Oma Kokichi, Akamatsu Kaede & Saihara Shuichi, Akamatsu Kaede & Shirogane Tsumugi, Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi, Momota Kaito & Oma Kokichi, Momota Kaito & Saihara Shuichi, Momota Kaito/Saihara Shuichi, Oma Kokichi & Saihara Shuichi, Oma Kokichi & Shirogane Tsumugi, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi, Saihara Shuichi & Shirogane Tsumugi, Saihara Shuichi/Shirogane Tsumugi, [Romance is not guaranteed in this fic.]
Series: [NDRV3 x DDLC] Literature Club V3 : Poems Are Forever [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1989883
Comments: 57
Kudos: 84





	1. Literature Club V3

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the Literature Club! It's always been a dream of mine to make something special out of the things I love. Now that you're a club member, you can help me make that dream come true!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi! This will probably be the first multi-chapter fic i've written, so i apologise in advance for poor quality  
> I've always liked DDLC's poem mechanism and I like poems and hiding cool edgy shit in em, so I made this au
> 
> Basics:  
> \- Slice-of-life  
> \- The characters will still be in a literature club and will still have the roles of canon characters but will not be required to act like them  
> \- In-game quarrels and events may be scrapped depending on importance or in-character-ness (the festival will stay)
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

It’s a regular school morning, just like any other.

Pairs and groups chatting idly as they make their commute—the bright sun shining against every surface it touches. The sky is so freakishly blue today that it almost seems fake.

Shuuichi grips the brim of his baseball cap, tilting it downwards slightly. If it weren’t for his hat, his hair would’ve been scorched by now. That wasn’t the only reason he kept it on though.

He’s about to make his way down just like everyone else when he hears a long yell of his name. A few heads turn and so does Shuuichi’s. By the time he’s moved, he already feels a large hand firmly grip his shoulder.

He looks up. 

The person beside him is Kaito Momota, his next-door-neighbour and close friend. Shuuichi would’ve never expected this kind of bond to happen now, but Kaito has always had this ‘hunch’ of choosing just the right people to befriend. He somehow manages to get anyone he pursues.

“Shu- Shuuichi!” Kaito says between pants, knees bent as he gasps for air. “Sorry for keeping you waiting, sidekick. I was.. Y’know, this thing.”

Kaito moves one of his hands off his knee to point to his gelled-up hair. Shuuichi had noticed it upon the other’s arrival. Another day, another incredibly dumb hairstyle it seems. 

Shuuichi sighs. “It’s fine, it’s fine.” He waves a hand dismissively. “You’re lucky you caught me before I went off on my own.”

“That’s rude!” Kaito moves his hand off, “Besides, I would’ve caught up on my own anyway!”

“You probably wouldn’t have.”

They’d usually walk to school together whenever possible, but over the past few months Kaito has been arriving late or straight up skipping. He always somehow had an excuse too.

_ “I was doing my hair!” _

_ “I lost track of time, you know I’m bad with these things!” _

_ “My grandparents wanted me to visit. They’re getting old, I can’t just leave them…” _

_ “I got a bad cough recently. See? I’ve got a mask to prove it!” _

_ “Gah.. Guess I overslept again…” _

Those excuses were usually recycled over and over again. Eventually, Shuuichi just stopped correcting him. He won’t admit it just yet, but this concerned Shuuichi.

He and Kaito crossed the street and stepped over the pathway to school, continuing to ramble about their latest endeavours. Mostly Kaito, really. Shuuichi didn’t really do much in his spare time and it was always a delight to hear Kaito talk about his interests and aspirations.

The next question caught him off guard.

“Say.. Have you looked at any clubs to join yet?”

Ah yes, the question Shuuichi has been dreading. Clubs. Kaito has always been worried about his lack of social interaction. Shuuichi thinks he’s fine staying with the same 4-ish friends for another few years. Kaito doesn’t. 

Just as Shuuichi’s about to deny, Kaito interrupts him.

“I know you didn’t. Come on.. Not even something you’re interested in? Like, what you usually do? I know there’s a book club thingy I go to every now and then. If you’re  _ that _ paranoid about meeting others, you can stick with me!”

Kaito’s kind smile makes it nearly impossible for him to refuse.

“I’ll think about it,” he hesitates. Kaito should know that it means never, but he seems excited nonetheless.

“Great! I knew I could count on you, sidekick!” 

Shuuichi gets a slight feeling that he’s going to regret this later.

  
  
  


\---

  
  


Shuuichi decides that he was right and is regretting it now.

The school day was just like any other and now that it was over, Kaito could actually bother him about the subject. Shuuichi forgot that he was supposed to find groups about an hour after being informed. When he actually remembered, it was too late.

“Sidekick!”

A snap of Kaito’s fingers drags Shuuichi back into reality.

“E-Eh? Oh- What is it?” His hand goes straight to his hat. 

“And I thought I was dazed... Did you get enough sleep last night? You’ve been spacing out since the start of the day..” And now Kaito’s concerned. Great-

“Maybe going over to my club would help energise you a bit? I know someone who makes great tea. Oolong’s your favourite, right?”

Shuuichi thinks that would drain him but he decides not to speak up about that. As much as he wants to tell Kaito that he wants to branch out on his own this year, Kaito’s enthusiasm about Shuuichi joining is starting to get to him. It’s not that he disliked Kaito—quite the opposite actually—but he didn’t want to continue clinging onto Kaito during every interaction with someone else. To use him as a way to avoid social situations by having him do all the talking. Would that even happen in a book club?

Speaking of, although he loved reading he wasn’t sure if the club would be a great fit. He can do most of the activities in the comfort of his own home. There’s the whole discussion and reporting part too, but wouldn’t he be on his own after that?

He can set his reluctance aside though, just this once. He wants Kaito to at least think he tried and put some effort into the whole thing.

Shuuichi lets the other explain the rest about the club, and so, today marks the day he sold his soul to Kaito and his stupid, irresistable grin.

  
  
  


\---

  
  
  


Shuuichi stands outside of the club room, silently wishing he were anywhere but here. Once again, his hand rises up to grab and tug at his hat to shield his eyes. Kaito shoots him a look of disapproval, not that he could see it since he was focusing on the mahogany floor beneath him. Nonetheless, Kaito gives him a harsh pat on the back, flashing him that same reassuring grin as he moves forward to swing the door open.

An announcement from Kaito that, “The new member is here!” and the eager turns of a few heads proves that Shuuichi isn't going to be leaving any time soon.

He stumbles in, half-behind Kaito and tries to take in his surroundings. Tries, rather than succeed, because as soon as they had entered the room, the other members proceeded to try and grab Shuuichi’s attention. 

"Welcome to the literature club!" The first member speaks up, putting her hands together in front of her chest. "I think Kaito's mentioned some stuff about you.. It's a pleasure to finally meet!"

She pushes her oval shaped glasses up. Her eyes are royal blue, just like her long hair. Somehow, the tendrils seem like they’re floating around mysteriously. Either it’s the wind or a crazy amount of hair spray. She wears the regular school uniform just like anyone else would. A warm grey blazer over a brown sweater vest and a white shirt, a navy pleated skirt, white knee-high socks and uwabaki slippers with sky blue tips. A red ribbon is tied like a bow near the collar of her school shirt.

It was almost as if they knew he was coming with Kaito, which seemed strange considering he had told Kaito he would only greet the club briefly before making his decision. He glares up at Kaito, who suspiciously avoids his gaze and instead moves away.

The loud screech of metal against the wooden floor brings everyone’s attention to a younger looking boy who appeared no older than 13. He's seated in one of the classroom chairs.

"Finally another guy has decided to join! Geez, you look miserable. Hey, I guess a mopey emo is better than whatever the fuck he is!" He points at Kaito. His fingernails are painted black, just like his wild, pine-tree-like hair. Purple highlights are scattered along his locks. His uniform is the same, except his red tie is loose and stained. His blazer is unbuttoned, revealing most of his sweater.

Oddly enough, instead of reacting harshly Kaito simply rolls his eyes and says, “Whatever you say, Kokichi.”

Shuuichi shakes his head in an attempt to rid it of the ringing that started from the noise. In the process, he almost misses what ‘Kokichi’ had said. He wishes he did.

“A m-mopey emo?” he repeats, more to himself than the smaller boy. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about his appearance, besides maybe his hair. What did Kaito tell these people?

"Yeah! Your eyes look like a racoon's. Do you sleep or do you just cry at 3 in the morning while listening to MCR and drinking energy drinks? Although you seem like a coffee kinda guy.. But I lied. It's obvious by your disgusting emo hat." Kokichi pops his knuckles, staring down at his hand. He wouldn't put it past Shuuichi to spend his free time like that however.

"Kokichi.." The bluenette lets out an exasperated sigh. 

Kokichi sticks his tongue out immaturely. "You're no fun, Tsu! Go back to being super plain or something before I get my organisation to behead you!"

Ah. So he's got eighth-grader-syndrome. Not very shocking.

"You shouldn't talk to her that way...?" Shuuichi attempts to sound demanding but ends up seeming more unsure and awkward. His face flushes at the shakiness in his voice. For all he knew, it could’ve been an inside joke between them. His response was impulsive but that didn't mean he had the right to intervene like that.

Kokichi leans back in his seat. "And besides, you can't dictate whatever I wanna do. I  _ am _ a supreme leader of evil after all." Definitely has eighth-grader-syndrome. "Tsukitsuki likes it anyway! She loves being reassured how boring she is. And I bet you're boring too! It's just a thing all the blue haired people have." 'Tsu' [or was it 'Tsukitsuki'- actually, that seems like a nickname] glares at the smaller. She doesn't like how he's right for once.

He opens his mouth to apologize, to do anything other than stand and stare when, thankfully, the last member came to his rescue with a greeting. 

"Shuuichi! What a nice surprise! Welcome to the club."

She chuckles nervously. She thought she told them to behave in front of any guests..? Maybe she forgot, she wouldn't be surprised if she did. 

The last member was someone that seemed to recognise Shuuichi. Kaede Akamatsu, the definition of a stereoty- A well-rounded woman. Smart, pretty, talented, probably out of his league. They had talked a few times last year and are on pretty decent terms. She's always found him interesting to talk to, and being in the same club might help develop their friendship.

She'd always seemed bigger and better than everything the school represented. He hadn't expected to see her in this sort of club. Maybe in one that could help with college applications but a book club with only four members?

Nevertheless, he smiles in response to her warm welcome. "It's nice to see you again! Even if it's like this, aha." 

Why did he say that? Out of all the things he could’ve said, he said  _ that. _ Ah, whatever. He doubted any of them knew that he had dropped in only to visit, going by Kaito's avoidance of him, and saying something like that made it seem like he was judging them. Not that he was! He just... Okay, maybe he was. He just didn't see the point to the literature club and maybe that's been made obvious but that is fine. It wasn't like he'd see any of these people again, other than maybe passing them in the hallways.

A bout of silence later, he realises they were all watching his train wreck of an interaction with Kaede. He clears his throat and raises his voice, just slightly above his normal tone. 

"It's nice to meet you all. Thank you for inviting me to  _ visit _ your club on such short notice. Kaito's told me a lot about you." 

Maybe that wasn't entirely true. Sure, Kaito had told him how the club functioned and how many members there were. He would think he would remember if he had mentioned them, especially the guy with an organisation. But it was nice and close enough to true that it wouldn't hurt to say. Hopefully.

Kaede watches, a little bit surprised at the sudden lack of cool in the classroom and from Shuuichi's rising anxiety that she could see in his expression. She furrows her brows at his last statement.

"Visit..?" That's not right.. 

Kokichi gasps dramatically. " _ Visit? _ And I thought  _ I _ was the token liar of the club, Kaito! You made me bake all those stupid cookies for nothing!" His eyes start to water. He sniffles before yelling out, "WAAAAAAAAAAHH!!  _ YOU'RE SO MEAN!! _ I'm not your slave, y'know?! I can't do this shit all the time for you!!" Hot tears spill out of his eyes in an almost impossible waterfall fashion. 

Yeah, Kaede most definitely thinks she forgot if the little 'leader' is pulling stunts like these. The other members seem to stare at him, void of any further discussion. It's almost as if they're used to it. Kokichi gets the idea and somehow sucks all his tears back up into his eyes. "Whatever. I don't care anyways. I still have the cookies by the way. I didn't lie about them. They’re in the teacher’s closet. I  _ never _ lie about sweet treats!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep.." Tsu looks over at Kaito, brows furrowed in disappointment. "Especially when it's about a new member."

Kokichi butts in, "Getting our hopes up like that is just so cru-"

"Shut up, Kokichi." Tsu waves a hand dismissively. Great, now the air in the room has changed from heated excitement to dissatisfaction. Kaede notices this and attempts to try and lighten up the mood a little bit.

"But hey, he never said he'd be leaving just yet!" Kaede links her hands together in front of her chest. Optimism! What a finicky trait. "Besides, Shuuichi doesn't even know what we do around here. Maybe if we show him-"

Kokichi interrupts, "-And bribe him with sweets-"

Kaede ignores Kokichi, "-Then he might consider staying!" Kaede seemed pretty persistent in getting Shuuichi to join. The only real issue is that Kaede had no clue what to show him. The club was normally a time for casual reading or study, but she needed to come up with something to attract his attention. Fast.

“You see, literature covers a lot of different activities,” she begins, making some strange hand gesture so the others would stay silent. "It’s not all reading here. We write!”

The other members stare at Kaede as if she’s mad.

“But- Writing a full length story every day can be time consuming, so we just stick with poems. You can get your narrative across with less words that way! Well- For now, we’re reading but the plan is that we’re going to write poems at home and review them here the next day.”

Kaede keeps her signature smile up.

“You’re giving us homework? I thought Miss President would pick something less boring!”

“We talked about this beforehand, didn’t we? You were the one who brought it up. But it’s not just homework, sharing poems takes a lot more effort than it seems. We can bond this way! A lot of people use writing to vent their frustrations, and I think you might benefit from that.”

Kokichi huffs, swinging in his chair. He most definitely did not bring it up. She definitely didn’t have to jab at him like that either. He’d rather not share his vents. Either Kaede’s a filthy liar or he forgot another conversation. He’d rather believe the former.

Shuuichi processes what he was told. Kaede did bring up a good point, poems can be a form of expression. He can get to know people better this way, but it’s still just reading and reviewing. Maybe he’s taking too much of a simple approach to this.. Exposing all of his deepest vulnerabilities to people he barely knows doesn’t seem very appealing however.

Shuuichi still feels like there wouldn’t be much of a point in joining, especially since most of the hard work would be dealt with at home and the possible crisis that’ll come along with it. But Kaede did mention Kokichi baking cookies…

It’s not that Shuuichi wanted any. Well.. Maybe he did, but it was mostly because he didn’t want to feel bad for having Kokichi bake just for him. This’ll also be one of the few chances he gets to properly hang out with Kaede. 

The others bringing their death glares to him didn’t make the situation any better. How is he supposed to make a clear-headed decision when they do that?

He swallows, the lump in his throat getting only slightly better.

If he declines, any future interactions with Kaede or Kaito might be incredibly awkward. He also won’t get any cookies- Is that seriously one of the downsides? Ah yes, risking all his bonds for the sake of yummy treats. Great job, Shuuichi.

He could always just befriend Kokichi later.. But he could do it now? Kaito also mentioned someone being really good at making tea here.. Tsu, maybe? The others have their own abilities that make them stand out on their own. Maybe she really  _ is _ ‘incredibly plain’..

If writing poems is the price he needs to pay in order to make a few new friends, and possibly stay on Kaito’s good side then...

“... I see. W-Well uh.. M-Maybe I’ll join after all then.”

The others’ eyes light up one by one.

Kaito suddenly appears again. He was camping out in the corner of the classroom to avoid getting involved with the persuasion.

“Alright, my work here is done.”

Tsu blinks. “B-But you didn’t do anything-”

Kaito readjusts his blazer and makes his way to the door.

Kokichi stops swinging, sitting up straight. “I swear to god if you only joined to let your mopey emo boyfriend in-”

Kaede holds back her sigh of relief in an attempt to seem composed.

“Well then, it’s official. Shuuichi is a member of the Literature Club!”

Kokichi hops out of his seat. “Yahoo~! Can I finally give him the cookies now-”

Kaito stops in his tracks. “Yeah, the cookies! I’ll go grab them-”

Kokichi glares at him. “ _ I _ made them, Kai-to.”

Kaede nods. “Yes, you can give him the cookies.”

“Finally!”

Tsumugi stands up next. “I might as well prepare some tea then too.. There’s nothing much else my plain self can do.”

The two head over to the corner of the room, Kokichi skipping ahead. Kokichi grabs a few tin foil wrapped takeout boxes while Tsumugi opens the closet and grabs a water pitcher. Kaito and Kaede both arrange the classroom tables to make one big desk, and put five chairs around it. Shuuichi idles and observes them all.

Kaito sits at the right side. Shuuichi awkwardly sits next to him. Kaede sits at the front, clasping her hands under her chin and resting her elbows on the wood.

Kokichi proudly marches back to the table, boxes in arms. He puts one box at each chair, smiling as he seats himself at the left side. He ushers Tsumugi to follow, only for her to point at the pitcher before exiting the classroom to find a water source. He shrugs, his smile now morphing into a malicious grin.

“Be careful~ One of the boxes is laced with cyanide!”

Kaito’s expression flashes to fear before realising it’s another one of Kokichi’s lies. He’s the first one to tear off the foil and open the box.

“Woah!”

A few wisps of steam escape the plastic, revealing four exceptionally large chocolate chip cookies. They’re still warm.

“Don’t act surprised, you’ve seen them before-”

Kaito has already eaten half his serving.

“I-- Wow Kaito, didn’t know I’d be able to win you over so easily!” Kokichi smirks.

Kaito mumbles a small ‘shut up’.

Kokichi turns away and his expression shifts, now completely blank. He seems to be staring at something.

Shuuichi unwraps his box and opens it. He takes a cookie out and inspects it, looking for the perfect area to bite. He soon realises that Kokichi’s staring at  _ him _ and bites into the confection, hoping that pleases him.

Shuuichi’s eyes widen. The chocolate instantly oozes into his mouth. The cookie itself is a mix of crunchy and chewy. The caramelised taste almost reminds Shuuichi of bakery goods he used to get when he was small. 

“Mm.. It’s really good. Thank you.”

Kokichi crosses his arms. “You better appreciate every last bite. Since Bird Hair over there decided to lie about your willingness to join, this might be the only time you get to try them.”

“Hey! Your cookies weren’t that good anyway!” Kaito’s speech is muffled as he’s talking with his mouth full of said cookies.

“Gosh, you don’t have to lie. That’ll only make our love triangle even more complicated! Do you want the cookies or me?”

“Like I’d ever date you.”

“Ouch! I’m hurt!” Kokichi slumps in his seat.

Tsumugi returns to the classroom, carrying a tea set. She places a teacup in front of each member and sets the teapot in the centre of the table with a cloth underneath.

“You keep a whole tea set in the classroom?” Shuuichi asks, curious.

“The teachers gave us permission. Really it’s just so that we have something else to drink other than plain water,” Tsumugi glances at Kokichi, who was munching on a cookie, “But tea and a book go pretty well together too.”

Shuuichi takes the teapot and pours the liquid into his teacup. He places it back and sips at his tea. It’s sweet and floral, while also slightly bitter. 

The others begin to converse. Well, it’s more like Kaito and Kokichi start bickering and Shuuichi anxiously tries to ask Kaede about the club.

Kaede gives a pretty straightforward answer. The other clubs seemed too political, and so she made her own based on something she could properly control and enjoy. Despite her being most well known for being the best pianist in school, she decided to pursue literature.

“Even if this place doesn’t have many members, I’m glad I could create a relaxing environment for the few people I gathered. But it’s always a delight to find new people interested in literature! Hopefully we can do something worthwhile for the festival and any other events..”

Kaede sips at her tea. “By the way, if I’m ever gone then Kokichi is in charge. He’s Vice President after all.”

Kokichi? Vice President? As much as that sounded odd to Shuuichi, he wanted to trust Kaede's words. She probably sees something in him that he hadn’t yet.

“So, Shuuichi, what kind of things do you like to read?” Tsumugi looks over at him. 

Shuuichi pauses. He’s read a variety of different kinds, but he’d often sort what he liked based on title or author and not genre.

“...I guess I prefer mystery novels. It’s fun noticing all the small details the author might put in and putting the pieces together before the characters do. Getting that kind of satisfaction when your theories are proven right is nice too.”

She hums. “Interesting. Well, my favourites are quite similar. Stories that create twists and turns and drama all over are quite intriguing to me. Oh, it's even better when surprises are thrown in left and right! But not purely for shock value, no, they actually make sense. Like foreshadowing for the culprit to be the protagonist all along, or a twist where the plot goes from lighthearted and fluffy to horrifying in just a few chapters.”

Tsumugi traces the rim of her teacup with her fingertip. She stares at her reflection in the tea.

“Recently I’ve been getting into horror lately. It’s really something I only read to admire rather than get some deep meaning out of it, though.”

“Horror is one of my favourites too!” Kokichi stops terrorising Kaito and his poor bird hair. “I like seeing the characters suffer.”

“You cry because your favourites die,” Tsumugi states blankly.

Kokichi folds his hands behind his head. “And you read exclusively manga and light novels.”

“Ah- So do you!”

“At least I’ve picked up a proper book to pass the time with.” Kokichi rummages through his bookbag to find it.

Shuuichi doesn’t understand how Kokichi managed to create an unrelated counter to Tsumugi’s statement, but he doesn’t question it. Kokichi seems to be just ‘like that’.

Before Kokichi can find it, the bell rings for home time.

“Ok, everyone,” Kaede stands up, “I think we can officially conclude today’s meeting on a positive note. Remember to write a poem to bring to the next meeting so we can all share! I’d love to see what you guys can come up with. No pressure though, it’s not a competition.”

Kaede looks over at Shuuichi once more.

“Shuuichi, I look forward to seeing how you express yourself.”

She heads over to the door and leaves the classroom with her items as Kokichi and Tsumugi clean up their food.

“Come on, sidekick, let’s go.” Kaito ushers for Shuuichi to follow him as he exits without even asking for an opinion. Shuuichi can’t really blame him, however. Ever since Kaito has joined the club, they haven’t been able to walk home together. Shuuichi swings his book bag over his shoulder and follows wordlessly.

  
  
  


With that, the pair make their way home together. A bit more chit-chat, a bit of silence. The walk home is calming and oddly quiet. Kaito could just be tired though.

Shuuichi’s mind wanders back to the other club members. They’re quite the energetic bunch, would he really be able to keep up?

It would be interesting to know more about them, and he guesses that’ll have to start with writing a poem tonight.

-

-

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -  
> Poems! How fun! Just like the real game, you have to pick which words you want to select to woo one of your fellow club members.  
> Comment one below, but only 20 will be chosen. Just like the real game.  
> Have fun!  
> -  
> Harass me on Twitter - @booperbeanv3  
> Yell at me on discord - booperbean#2390


	2. Morning, Sleepyhead!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuuichi grumbles, feeling a sudden weight atop his body. His eyes flutter open, only for him to yell once Kokichi’s face fills his vision.
> 
> “Morning, sleepyhead! You’re finally up, Shuuichi!”
> 
> Shuuichi nearly falls out of his chair, face completely red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back! if you saw the placeholders no you didn't<3  
> I saw a video analysing DDLC's code. Apparently each word gave 1-3 points to its specific character so I stole that mechanic. I didn't get enough words in time, so I ended up having to sample from a list a different comment gave. They were randomly selected on discord.  
> [Kaede is not a romanceable option so I gave her words to whoever they suited to more]
> 
> Kaito - warm, adventure, moon, fuzzy - 9 points  
> Tsumugi - plain, crestfallen, silk, control - 9 points  
> Kokichi - drama, hungry, daydream, smad, cards, paranoia, hidden - 17 points
> 
> \- Let's see how this plays out -

“Hi again, Shuuichi!”

Kaede’s energised voice brings said boy’s attention to her. He had just entered the classroom. Shuuichi was the last to arrive, so everyone else was already busy.

“Glad to see you didn’t run away on us.” She smiles sweetly, a soft chuckle following along.

Shuuichi chuckles back, albeit quite forced. His mind can only think back to the piece he wrote the night before. “I’m sure Kaito would’ve forced me to come anyway…”

“I would’ve! You can’t just give up on something you only started a day ago. If someone’s hesitant, you help them out!” Kaito butts in. He’s sitting at one of the classroom tables, a thick textbook open under his hand. “I’m glad you were able to come here on your own, though.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever, I’m sure Mr Mopey Emo Hat is gonna dip after the festival anyway. Or at least hang around and do nothing for a good few hours.” 

Kokichi crosses his arms, swinging his legs off the desk he’s sitting on.

“I don’t blame you. It’s pretty boring hanging around here anyway!”

“He’s lying, he always rambled to me about everything that went on here even before I joined the club.” Tsumugi is on the floor leaning against a wall, a metre away from the storage closet. Despite being so engrossed in her book, she manages to listen in. 

Kokichi shoots a glare at her before softening his expression. “Oopsie poopsie, silly me~ I lied again. You guys are real nice here! Not. It seems Tsumugi doesn’t know where she isn’t needed yet again. As per usual.”

“Hey! Be nice!” Kaito barks.

“Ah- Sorry, I tend to eavesdrop… How shameful of someone as plain as me to interrupt.” Tsumugi flicks a page to read the next.

Still an energetic bunch, these four. Shuuichi almost feels like he’d be better off fading into the background. Participating in any conversation with the others seems like a headache waiting to happen. 

His point is further proven when Kokichi turns to Kaito and asks, “What’re you doing with a _textbook_ around here? Uh, we’re supposed to be doing fun and exciting reading here.”

“I’m sure it’s more exciting than whatever shounen manga you’re reading. They all have the same bland protagonist in each story.”

Kokichi gasps dramatically. “You take that back-”

Kaede pops in, hands clasped together in her signature stance. “Ah, we were talking about Shuuichi, were we not? I’m sure he’ll stay for the rest of the year. He’ll give anything his all as long as he feels like it helps others! Or if he gets a benefit.”

Shuuichi almost feels like he’s getting tossed around like some sort of puppet. What does he even say in this kind of situation?

“Ah.. That’s-”

“But don’t take my word for it! I’m getting this all from Kaito after all,” Kaede adds, waving her hands defensively.

It seems that he says nothing. Ok, maybe the only reason why he bothered attending was for the small chance of getting cookies in return. But he doesn’t have to tell anyone that! He’d surely be mortified if someone found out though.

“Yeah! That’s right! He’s especially good with chores and busywork. He even lets me copy off his notes from time to time too!” Kaito flashes Shuuichi a bright smile.

“That’s because you forget so often that I’ve just made it a habit to have an extra set on with me. Even then, your handwriting is close to unreadable when you do write notes down.”

Kokichi sighs. “And you call yourself smart.”

“Hey! Don’t underestimate me!” Kaito puts his fists together.

“I guess I can’t help but be a lil’ envious though.. I’d kill for a friend to steal work from! Tsukitsuki doesn’t let me do anything, can we tradeeee?” Kokichi leans back, gripping the edge of the table tightly. It leans with him, and his face flashes with dread as he screams and tumbles down.

Kaito covers his mouth, snickering. Shuuchi can’t see it, but he can tell there’s a satisfied grin underneath. Kokichi stands up and puts the table back, pouting slightly.

“You two are really good friends, huh? I must agree with Kokichi here. I would recommend a swap, but leaving Kokichi and Kaito alone together isn’t the best idea.” Tsumugi nods, flipping another page. Is she even paying attention to the text? She must be, considering the focused look on her face. 

“We don’t have to swap! You guys and Shuuichi can become great friends too! Even with you, Kokichi. As long as someone can handle you better than Tsumugi can, we’re good.”

“Gosh, you love treating me like a cheeky toddler, huh?”

“That’s pretty much what you are.”

“Oi!” Kokichi huffs. “Oh, by the way, Tsumugi even brought you something today! Isn’t it so welcoming here-”

Tsumugi finally moves her head up from reading, seemingly panicked. “He’s lying again!”

“Huh? Really?” Shuuichi blinks rapidly, confused. “I’ve only been here for a day-”

“I’m not lying this time! I’ll even fish it outta her bag if you wish~”

Shuuichi lets out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. Yup, he can feel the headache coming in. It seems like all the issues with the literature club seem to be the opposite of what he was expecting.

Tsumugi quickly dog-ears the page she was on and scrambles to grab her dark blue book bag. Kokichi whines, moving onto his stomach and holding his arms out. Grabby hands. Tsumugi mumbles something about Kokichi being ‘so childish’ and pulls a book out.

“Look, I didn’t want you to feel left out so I decided to get a book for you!”

“Ah- Tsumugi, you really shouldn’t have! I could’ve easily brought something on my own!” Shuuichi waves his hands in front of his chest. He could’ve, but he didn’t. He guesses that’s the important part.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing new. It’s something I’ve had in my collection a while back. I know, it’s just so plain of me to have a book collection of all things..”

She stands up, leaving her own copy where she previously was. Tsumugi approaches Shuuichi and hands him the book.

“It’s a mystery light novel. You said you liked that genre, so uh.. Yeah! It’s a short read, but these kinds of stories really catch your attention, even if you don’t read very often. We could always discuss it if you’d like! Eheh..” Tsumugi adjusts her glasses.

Shuuichi takes the item, trying not to seem eager. “I’ll make sure to read it whenever I can.” He forces a smile, gripping the brim of his hat. He can feel Kaito’s piercing glare, eyeing him so he doesn’t hide underneath his cap.

“I look forward to hearing what you think.”

Shuuichi nods, slipping the book in his own backpack. Now that everyone’s settled and calm, he expected Kaede to start some activities. Oddly enough, she didn’t. Ah, so it really was just a silent reading club? The poems were most likely shoe-horned in to grab Shuuichi’s attention. That makes him feel bad.

Kokichi has hopped off his desk and is now conversing with Kaede near the teacher’s desk. Shuuichi finds it intriguing how Kaede’s perfectly still while Kokichi rocks back and forth on his heels, arms behind his back. 

Tsumugi is back in her place, face already buried in her book. Her intense expression is hard to ignore. It’s almost as if she was waiting for this chance. 

Meanwhile, Kaito is back to reading from his… textbook. Studying, more like? What was even in it that caught his interest so well?

Shuuichi slumps down into the nearest seat next to him, eyeing Kaito. He still finds it odd how the other can come up with the most ridiculous and flamboyant hairstyles to arrive at school with each day. 

Kaito looks the same as yesterday, hair gelled up like a cockatiel’s. How would that look good to anyone?! It’s so strange that Shuuichi almost wants to touch it.

A sudden yell of joy brings Shuuichi’s attention to the conversation Kokichi and Kaede are having. Kokichi’s jumping up and down, shaking his arms in front of his chest. Kaede doesn’t seem to try and stop him. 

“I can make cookies! Sure, I _hate_ the idea of slaving in the kitchen to bring attention to the club, but if it dragged Mr Mopey Emo Hat here then it’ll drag others too.” Kokichi stops jumping, now toying with his fingers. 

“That’ll get people interested.”

Shuuichi stares at the smaller male, a look of curiosity on his face. What exactly were they talking about?

“Good thinking! Ah, you could probably shape the cookies into letters, right? That could attract couples too. They grab a few letters that match up with their name. How romantic!”

“But we still need to work out the actual details for the festival though. We can spark their interest with yummy food, but how will we keep it? Literature is already quite a dense, uninteresting subject as is and some people might feel like they’re too dumb to join.”

Kokichi sounds oddly serious here, completely different to his bratty, lying personality. 

“Not everyone’s like Tsumugi who thinks they’re an intellectual literature goddess.”

There it is.

Kaede awkwardly laughs. “Maybe don’t insult her while stating that, but you do bring up a good point.”

Shuuichi is staring off into space now, focused on the discussion he isn’t even a part of. He finds himself smiling as he leans against the desk. Kokichi was a tricky person, per se, but he had a certain charm underneath his baking talent. 

Charisma, perhaps?

Shuuichi is able to make plans and follow up with them, but he’s an idiot when it comes to social events. Kokichi seems to know how people think through and through. Although he might be giving him too much praise as he himself has no clue what he’s talking about.

He can’t help but wonder what the world looks like through Kokichi’s eyes.

  
  
  


Shuuichi grumbles, feeling a sudden weight atop his body. His eyes flutter open, only for him to yell once Kokichi’s face fills his vision.

“Morning, sleepyhead! You’re finally up, Shuuichi!”

Shuuichi nearly falls out of his chair, face completely red.

“Aw, did I scare you? Such a scaredy cat, aren’t ya, Shuuichi? This isn’t a napping club! You better take us seriously here!”

“G- Get off my lap!” Shuuichi moves Kokichi off, pushing his chair away. He winces at the loud screech it makes. Kokichi lands on the table. 

Kokichi puts his chin in his hands, elbows resting on his thighs. Shuuichi wonders for a split second how anyone manages their hair here. Tsumugi seems to be the only one with a regular look, probably because she’s ‘so plain’.

“Meanie… I just wanna talk! Kaeidiot gets real boring after a while. She should really talk about all this stuff with her girlfriend, not the lousy Vice Pres.” Kokichi pops his knuckles, staring down at his hand.

“Girlfriend?! Wait- She’s dating someone-”

“Stupid! That was just another lie!” Kokichi flicks Shuuichi’s forehead, the latter whining in response. 

“Jeez.. Even if that was a lie, it’s more likely for her to get a girlfriend than you anyway…” Shuuichi mumbles. Ah- Wait, that-

“That was _really_ mean!!” Kokichi sits up straight, hand clutching his shirt as if he were in pain. “I’m hurt!” His eyes start to water.

Here we go again. “Gah- I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it-”

“But I lied again! Neeheehee, you sure are dense,” Kokichi giggles, swinging his legs. “If your mopey ass can give _me_ advice on getting a girlfriend, why don’t you show me if you’re so clever?” Kokichi tilts his head.

“Start with appearance. I’m already super cute, so I doubt there’s anything that needs to be fixed though.”

Shuuichi swallows. “Ah- I’m not so sure, I can’t-”

“Show me! You’re allowed to touch my gorgeous self for this, but only this one time. Got it?”

Shuuichi sighs. Kokichi can be oddly commanding when he wants to be, and Shuuichi isn’t sure if he likes it. Is this what Kaede sees in him?

Shuuichi stands up. “Well first off,” He runs his hands down the sides of Kokichi’s hair in an attempt to straighten it, “Your hair is sticking all over the place, you should probably brush it every now and then.” He continues, but his efforts are fruitless. The octopus hair is unfortunately too messy to end up pushing down.

“Your tie isn’t done correctly,” He tries to tighten it up, but stops once Kokichi grabs his wrist. “Oi, I don’t want it to choke me! I’m not into that kinda thing.” 

Shuuichi coughs. “Th- There’s a toothpaste stain on it too, it’s pretty noticeable, and you always keep your blazer buttoned down.”

Kokichi gasps. “Ehhh? How is the last one an issue? I just get warm easily! You’re mean.. And judgemental!”

Shuuichi would say something about how he _asked_ for this, but this is just Kokichi being Kokichi at this point.

“Look, it isn’t gonna be that bad. I can help you if you want?”

“I already said you could touch me, dumbass.”

“Alright..” Shuuichi starts to button his blazer from the bottom. “It’ll make you look less.. Y’know. You complained about Kaito calling you a cheeky toddler earlier, so maybe this’ll give off less of that appearance.”

Kokichi stays completely silent and still, minus the twiddling of his fingers. It’s making Shuuichi feel a bit uneasy, almost as if this is some personal moment despite the two being in a semi-public area. They’re oddly close, and Shuuichi can feel Kokichi’s breathing on his cheek. Why does he feel so warm all of a sudden?

Shuuichi bites his lower lip, struggling to fully close the button near his upper chest. Surprising, considering how small Kokichi is.

“Does this thing even fit you properly?”

“Of course! It did when I bought it!” 

Shuuichi sighs again, forcing the bronze button into place. “Maybe if you buttoned it sooner, you would’ve noticed…”  
  


He finishes and moves away, looking down at Kokichi. “What are you smiling about?”

“It means I’m getting bigger! Specifically my boobs.”

“You don’t have any-”

“Of course I don’t! But the point still stands. It’s something to be happy about! Don’t _you_ get all joyful when you grow an extra inch or two?” Kokichi hops off the desk, putting his arms behind his back and stretching. “God this feels weird… A girlfriend isn’t worth the effort of buying a new blazer! These things are expensive!”

He hastily unbuttons his blazer and straightens it a little bit. Ah well, it was worth a shot.

“So much better! Less stuffy too. Girls are all annoying like that, getting all fussy about looks. That’s why I’d rather have a boyfriend! Neeheehee! Y’know, Shuuichi, you’re kinda like a girl. Especially with that soft voice of yours.”

“Ah…” Shuuichi’s face reddens a little more. “Please don’t say things like that…” Truth be told, Shuuichi has always been quite insecure about seeming ‘feminine’. Anything Kaito said didn’t exactly help. He’d always ramble about being a ‘true man’ anyway.

“Ok, everyone!” Kaede stands up from the teacher’s desk. What was she even doing there anyway- Oh right, she was talking with Kokichi there before. “Why don’t we share the poems we wrote now?”

“Yay! Shuuichi, I can’t wait to read your one! But I lied, I bet it’s just gonna be a long paragraph of emo vent. Blegh, keep that to yourself!” Kokichi sticks his tongue out at Shuuichi and skips over to his checkered bag to retrieve his poem. The others seem to do the same. Shuuichi follows after.

“Well then, now that everyone’s ready, why don’t you find someone to share with?” 

“Okie dokie, Mom!” Kokichi calls out, pulling a neatly folded sheet of paper out of his bag. Kaede sighs, proceeding after. For someone so tidy and organised, Kaede pulls out a wrinkled sheet of… Sheet music?? Odd. Kaito and Tsumugi comply as well, and Shuuichi does the same.

Well, since he wrote his poem to try and appeal to Kokichi, he might as well share it with him, right?

Shuuichi taps Kokichi’s shoulder, a lump forming in his throat once Kokichi turns with a smile. 

“Hm? Whaddya want? Wanna share?”

Shuuichi nods, and before he can speak the poems have already been exchanged. Ah, so be it. He fiddles with the paper. Getting a nice feel of it instead of just reading it. He finds it strange how Kokichi has more care for his poem than for his own appearance. Maybe he simply doesn’t care and there’s nothing deep about it.

“...”

“Ok, let’s start with the things I don’t like.”

Kokichi re-reads the poem. “First of all, it’s garbage. You aren’t supposed to actually put effort into your poem!”

“Ah, isn’t that the point though? Besides, I’m not all that great at writing so-”

“I still said it’s garbage! Clean out your ears, why don’t ya? But still, maybe don’t cram out some super impactful piece on your first go. If you do that, anything shitty you produce will disappoint people familiar with your work.”

“So you like it?”

“What other message could you have gotten out of that?!”

“Uh, you don’t like it?”

“Whatever. Did you read mine or just stare at me under your hat like a creep?”

Shuuichi’s breath hitches. His response gets caught in his throat.

“Ah- That’s not-”

“Aw~ I’m flattered! But seriously, read it. Kaede’s gonna make you if you don’t anyway.”

Shuuichi carefully opens the poem and begins to read.

“It’s.. Simple.” Not really what Shuuichi had expected from Kokichi. That’s stupid, why would Kokichi write about something jokey anyway? Shuuichi looks at the paper once more, deciding not to comment on the doodles around the actual poem.

“Yeah, writer's block kinda slapped me hard with this one. But I can always pretend that was the intention, right? Simple isn’t always a bad thing.”

“Right. The point of a poem is to express yourself, and being able to do it in a few words makes it easier to understand. I guess?” Shuuichi folds the poem back up again. He places it on the desk.

“Exactly! I like it when it’s easy to read. I don’t wanna get a migraine just because some moron wanted to use fancy words. They look like a try-hard, and that’s worse than looking like a middle schooler.” Kokichi folds Shuuichi’s poem over itself a few times. It seems the sheet has become his new fidget toy.

“If I even try to lie during these ‘poem sharing’ moments then Kaede won’t let me see the light of day, so here goes.” 

Kokichi folds his hands behind his head.

“This poem really doesn’t mean anything, I waited until this morning to write it. Wishful thinking, I suppose. The sunrise is kind, it’s nice, it’s comforting. It’s way better than the mornings. They’re stressful, so I wanted to write about what things could’ve been. About something that makes me happy.”

Shuuichi stays silent, trying to figure out what Kokichi means. “So… It’s just about comfort?”

“Duh! I just explained what it meant! There’s no deeper meaning, it’s all just wishful thinking,” Kokichi says, a little irritated. “But hey, if you wanna make a deeper meaning, I’m not gonna stop you. Maybe you’ll find something in this poem that you can overthink about.” He hands Shuuichi’s poem back to him.

Kokichi must’ve written this just to please Kaede then. Despite this, Shuuichi feels like there’s still something more to it. He’s probably just looking for something to analyse Kokichi with. Wishful thinking.

Who else… Kaito? Shuuichi approaches him next.

  
  
  


“...” Kaito is visibly uncomfortable. “Didn’t realise you were into that style. Something about it seems off though…”

Silence.

“Ah well, it’s nothing. I like it, but it’s not my taste. It’s kinda freaky… But I had no clue you could write stuff like that!”

“Kaito, you’re overreacting.. I really have no clue what I’m doing..” Shuuichi mumbles.

“Nonsense!” Kaito gives Shuuichi a hard pat on the back. Shuuichi coughs, feeling his soul exit his body just like the day before. 

“Come on, you don’t think reading all those fancy books upped your writing ability a bit? I might like it because I have no idea what I like either though. As long as it’s good enough to me, I’ll say it.”

Kaito still said it wasn’t his taste but Shuuichi could shrug that off. 

“Are you sure you’re not just saying all that to please me?”

“Aw come on, I’d never. It’s just kinda nice reading this stuff from you, y’know? It’s like seeing a whole ‘nother side of your already complex thinking.”

Kaito moves his hand off. “Here’s my poem! Tell me what you think, alright?”

He passes his sheet of paper to Shuuichi

Classic Kaito. Star patterned paper, star themed poem. Hell, he even has a star-shaped pin he wears to school every day! To say Kaito likes space is too weak of a statement.

Shuuichi re-reads it. 

“Hm… It’s interesting.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“Well, I’m not really used to giving critique on writing..”

“Fair enough, I guess. But I’d say it’s more than interesting! I kinda made it about me! Well, a lot of people admire me and that’s great, but sometimes I feel like there’s too much pressure on those well-liked at school. Or even in general. Celebrities especially. They have their own lives too, y’know? It’s kind of unfair to rely on them for your happiness or put them on a pedestal because they got lucky.”

A slight feeling of dread pools in Shuuichi’s stomach. Isn’t that what he’s been doing with Kaito? Maybe he wrote the poem out of spite. To call him out for latching onto him for so long.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that! What are you so upset about?”

“Ah- I just feel bad! I-I don’t know, I don’t really know a lot about the subject but the meaning does make sense. It’s always talked about in class how we should treat everyone nicely, but being too nice and stuff can be kind of… Annoying?”

Shuuichi pretends as if he’s totally not describing himself in the last sentence. He has always puts other people’s needs above his own, even if it costs a nice sliver of his mental health. He’s kind of being hypocritical now, isn’t he?

“This was really fun, wasn’t it? I’d thank Kaede but apparently Kokichi came up with the idea and I don’t know how I feel about thanking _him_. My poem might’ve been a bit hard to understand now, but tomorrow I’ll make something even better! Just you wait!”

Shuuichi nods. “I’ll look forward to it, but it wasn’t hard to understand. I’m just.. Not great at describing things..”

They exchange poems again and Shuuichi moves to Tsumugi to share.

“Hm..” Tsumugi taps her chin with her knuckle. “This is your first time writing a poem, right?”

Shuuichi nods.

“Ah, good! It’s mine too! I’m used to writing uh.. Narratives, so I’m not the greatest with these things. However, I can sort of tell that this poem is your first.”

“Huh? Wh-What do you mean?” Shuuichi grips the brim of his hat, ready for embarrassment.

“Ah- I didn’t mean that in an insulting way!” She squeaks. “Besides, my plain self doesn’t know anything about the subject. I-I’m just going off of what I know from writing narratives!”

Tsumugi taps the page. “Most new writers have specific writing habits that makes their works stand out from the rest. For example, the author trying to force a style onto the reader. Like having the subject be about something simple, but the format being suspenseful. It generally clashes in a strange way that makes it hard to read. It almost seems melodramatic.”

She hands the poem back to Shuuichi. “You just don’t really seem very confident with your style. Sudden dullness interrupted with fancy words can seem awkward. Almost as if you’re making this to impress someone. Does that make sense?”

Ah. So it _was_ obvious. Well, at least to Tsumugi. She seems to know what she’s talking about, despite this being her first time writing poetry. 

“Of course, it’s not something you can be blamed for though. Many people try to take inspiration from other works and people they know, and that’s ok. It takes time to develop a style you can comfortably call your own. My plain advice can apply to any form of art here too.”

Shuuichi nods. “I’ll remember that.” His answers seem so dry, it's almost as if Tsumugi is giving advice to a rock. 

“I hope everyone here can give you some good critique here, although Kaito can be quite biased…”

“Well yeah, he’s my friend. I guess I should’ve expected that.”

“Oh, I don’t mean in that regard. I just… Nevermind, I’d say it’s pretty obvious.”

“O- Okay..? Ah, uhm, do you mind if I read your poem now?”

“Right! I uh.. It’s a little sloppy though..”  
  


Tsumugi hands Shuuichi her poem.

“Sorry about my handwriting.. It’s quite small, ahah..”

“No no, you’re fine! Uhm- The prompt is uh…” Any word but interesting, think, think.. “Strange.” And now it sounds like an insult.

“E-Eh?? Well, I should’ve expected this. I was sort of stuck when it came to writing, so I just wrote that.”

“You.. You wrote about writing a poem?”

“Yeah! Getting all hyped up for writing only to realise you can’t dump anything out is an awful feeling… I guess it sorta worked out in the end, right?”

“Right.. What’s the puppeteer about?”

Tsumugi hesitates. “Err.. Uhm… Writing websites.”

“Huh?”

“I-I’m sure you can find out what the string means on your own! Or d-don’t, y-you don’t have to analyse my poems all that well.”

Shuuichi has a sneaking suspicion that Tsumugi might just be making all this up. 

“Well.. I still enjoyed it. It’s relatable.”

“Ah, I’m glad! It makes me happy that you think that.. Maybe we can learn some stuff from each other.” Tsumugi takes her poem back and gives Shuuichi his own

“Maybe.”

The last person to share his poem with is Kaede. Shuuichi has sort of been dreading this.. Kaede probably has high expectations..

  
  
  


“I like it!”

Those three words immediately calmed Shuuichi down.

“It reminds me of something Kokichi would write. He likes the personal feel in poems like these.”

Nevermind.

“He can write really well when he wants too! His poems tend to be on the darker side though.” Kaede folds Shuuichi’s poem.

“Is that so? I didn’t see that from his poem..” Darker side? Shuuichi fumbles with the brim of his hat. It could be that Kaede’s just hyping him up for nothing..

“Really? Oh, he must be saving his actual style so he can slap you in the face with a vent. Ahahahah!”

Kaede’s cheery laughter doesn’t really help the nature of her words. What exactly does Kokichi have to share in his writing?

“I’m really just experimenting here, it could take a while before I feel comfortable doing all this.” Shuuichi takes his poem from Kaede, slipping it into his pocket.

“That’s ok! That’s the best way to find out which style suits you. Everyone else might be a bit biased towards their own types, but I’ll always help you find what suits you most! You can talk to me about anything!”

Kaede smiles sweetly.

“Don’t pressure yourself too much, ok? We’re all trying to have fun here.”

Shuuichi chuckles. It’s just as forced as the last time he talked with Kaede.

“Anyways, do you want to read my poem now? I’m not the best at it..”

She holds her poem out to Shuuichi. He takes it, looking at the back. So it really is sheet music. Kaede flips the page back over.

“Ah, don’t look at that! I didn’t have any spare paper left so uh.. Yeah. I’m sorry!”

Strange. Shuuichi starts to read.

“So… What do you think?”

Ah, drowning. Shuuichi feels a bit uneasy reading this. Coming from Kaede, this kind of writing seems off. Dull, even. 

“Something about this feels weird. I’m not the right person to ask for feedback on this…”

“It’s ok. I just sorta went with whatever? Not really, I had to skim through a few drafts before getting here. Don’t worry, I have backups for all my sheet music! I’m not that careless.”

“I’d hope so.” Shuuichi gives Kaede’s poem back. “The person in the poem seems quite apathetic, why is that?”

“Well, that person’s me. Do you ever get that feeling when something awful is happening but you just can’t care less if you disappear?”

“Ah, that’s-”

“It’s fine if you don’t, but this poem is based on that idea. I’m kind of nervous to elaborate, ahah..”

Kaede clears her throat. “From this experience, I can give you some advice! Don’t be afraid to scrap your work. It’s fine to make tons of drafts and work-in-progresses with your writing. Sometimes a draft can be completely different to the end product, and that’s ok. Nobody’s gonna see it anyway, so go wild and write whatever! Maybe you’ll get a few results to save for later.”

“That’s my advice for today! Thanks for listening~”

  
  
  


Shuuichi is back at his seat, glancing at everyone else in the room. That was way too stressful than he’d like to admit. It almost felt like everyone was secretly judging him all the way down to his handwriting and the brand of pens he used. 

Well, this is a literature club after all. He signed up for getting his writing torn to bits with critique. Although everyone was being really nice… They’re probably just hiding their true opinions.

Across the room, Tsumugi and Kaede are happily chatting. At the opposite end, Kokichi and Kaito are reading their poems in tandem. Shuuichi watches their expressions shift.

Kokichi’s eyebrows furrow in frustration. Kaito brings the paper closer to his face. Kokichi mumbles something Shuuichi can’t hear from his desk and gives the sheet back to Kaito.

“What’s wrong? Did the Luminary of the Stars impress the great Supreme Leader?” Kaito teases with a cocky smile.

“Now I take my compliment back. You always have to drag space into everything! It’s dumb. Even your paper is star-patterned! Was that textbook about space too? Nerd!” Kokichi sticks his tongue out.

“Hey! Did you miss the symbolism or something? Your poem doesn’t even have anything interesting to it!” Kaito shows the writing to Kokichi. “Plus, the doodles make it look messy.”

Kokichi whines. “So rude! I’m insulted! But at least I’ll admit that my poem is bland and boring. Just wait until tomorrow!”

“Oh yeah? We’ll make it a deal then. A challenge, if you may. But that’s besides the point.” Kaito slams the page onto the table Kokichi was sitting on, causing the other male to jolt. Suddenly, they both turn towards Shuuichi.

“Sidekick! Tell him my poem was better.”

“What? That’s so unfair!” Kokichi takes his poem back.

“Guys, don’t drag Shuuichi into your little quarrel-”

“This doesn’t involve you, Tsumugi!” Kokichi barks.

Tsumugi sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Shuuichi,” Kokichi begins, standing up on his desk, “My writing was clearly better! It doesn’t make you think about depressing stuff. It fills you with joy! It’s positive!”

“Well- Mine isn’t full of fluff and filler! Kokichi, get down-” Kaito picks Kokichi up. The other yelps. “There’s a deeper meaning _and_ actual facts in it! You understand that, right, Sidekick?”

“Put me down!!” Kokichi swings his legs around, aiming for Kaito’s knees.

Shuuichi glances at Kaito and then at Kokichi. “Uhm…!! I uh..”

**> Kaito**

**> Kokichi**

**> Help me, Kaede!!**

Shuuichi gulps. The two continue to bicker, but it’s all white noise in Shuuichi’s head.

**> Kaito**

**> Kokichi**

**> Help me, Kaede!!**

Shuuichi speaks up.

“Ko- Uh… Kai- Uh…!!”

Panic rises up in his body. He whips his head back.

“Kaede! Everyone’s fighting is making Kaede uncomfortable! See, she looks so anxious!” Shuuichi’s voice cracks. The two boys shoot him piercing glares while Kaede looks at him with a puzzled expression. Tsumugi’s face is buried in her book as if she’s trying to drown the conflict out.

“Shuuichi..” Kaede furrows her brows.

“This isn’t about her either!” Kokichi is starting to get agitated. “She shouldn’t intervene in something that doesn’t involve her!”

“Look, I’m afraid I must. It’s my duty as Club Leader to make sure everyone stays safe and happy here. Kaito, Kokichi, the poem sharing isn’t a contest. And both of your writing styles have certain quirks to them!” Kaede clasps her hands together. “Also Kaito, please put Kokichi down..”

Kaito does so. Kokichi sits on his table again.

“Kokichi’s poems are supposed to invoke some kind of emotion in the reader, happy or not!” 

Kokichi clenches his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He desperately wants to interrupt.

“And Kaito’s poems use simple ideas to paint a bigger picture! The meaning is an added bonus, but not necessary.”

Kaito crosses his arms.

“See? You two are both good at your own thing! So please don’t start any fights..”

Once Kokichi thinks Kaede is finished, he opens his mouth to speak. However, Kaede starts once again.

“ _And!_ Kaito’s passion for space is quite admirable! And Kokichi has a cute art style!”

“Cute?!”

Kaede tries to think of something else to say.

“Please try to keep things civil here… _Shuuichi_ and I would appreciate it.”

She smiles.

Kokichi huffs. “Whatever. I’m gonna go grab myself a snack.” He gets up and leaves the clubroom. Kaede inhales.

“Well then. That was a disaster.”

“I guess it was… Is Kokichi always like that?”

“Yeah. He’s just a little… Strange.” 

Kaede pauses.

“I didn’t mean to sound insulting! It’s what he uses for himself anyway. With all the lying and the uh.. Just be a bit careful with him, alright?”

Shuuichi isn’t sure how to react. Kaede has always seemed like the leading type, but she’s clearly anxious when trying to keep everyone in check.

After about five minutes, Kokichi is back with his hands in his pockets. “You know those apple bars in the vending machine on the second floor? I’d recommend them. Be careful though, I poisoned three! Neeheehee!”

Shuuichi glances at the small Vice President.

Kaede pats Shuuichi’s shoulder and smiles at him. Shuuichi feels his stomach knot at the gesture.

“Don’t worry, perhaps getting a little closer to him might help. He probably just needs a really nice friend to help him calm down. Someone who can supply something Tsumugi and I can’t.”

Even if Kaede’s wording sounds unsure, Shuuichi hopes she means well. Kaede has always been a kind and genuine person. If only he could talk to her more often…

“Ok, everyone!” Kaede announces, standing up. “It’s just about time for us to leave. How did you all feel about sharing poems?”

“It was fun! I can only dream of how great your poems will be as the days go by..” Tsumugi says dreamily. 

Kokichi huffs. “It was awful! But I lied, Kaito’s presence makes this more awful than anything.”

Kaito rolls his eyes, choosing not to respond. “Yeah, ok, it was alright.”

Shuuichi nods. “I’d say the same. It was nice to discuss with everyone.” Them rambling about the deeper meanings of their poems while Shuuichi stands and gives the driest response possible. So nice. 

“Awesome! In that case, we’ll make this a routine and do the same thing tomorrow. And the day after that. Hopefully all that has sparked some interest in your friends’ writing, and maybe you guys can all learn from that so your own writing can improve.”

Shuuichi thinks to himself. Now that he knows the styles of each member, he’ll be able to do a better job at making a universally likeable poem. That’s at least something he can look forward to. 

“Shuuichi! Ready to walk home?” Kaito grabs his bag and walks over to Shuuichi. 

“Sure, let’s go.”

  
  
  
  


Another walk back to their neighbourhood. Shuuichi stays close to Kaito, fidgeting with the straps of his book bag. It’s been a while since he and Kaito have spent this much time together, and he’d say he’s enjoying it.

“Hey Kaito, do you and Kokichi uhm.. Does that happen with you two often?”

Kaito lets out a heavy sigh. “I guess. He can be so nice when he wants to, but I guess something about me ticks him off. I wish he’d tell me just what though. He can be an annoying little brat, but I’m sure he’s a good kid. I’m probably just feeling sympathetic for him dumb baby face though.” He chuckles dryly.

Shuuichi hums. From what he can tell, they’re both quite stubborn. He knows that clash will never end well.

“It’s nice that I get to spend time with you in the club, but it’s better knowing you’re letting yourself out of that little shell of yours. Keeping yourself outside for a tiny bit longer instead of going all social-recluse-style and shutting yourself off from everyone.”

Kaito looks down at Shuuichi. 

“I’m glad you’re making friends with other people. Your happiness is really important to me, y’know? And I think the others like you, too.”

“That’s…” An exaggeration, Shuuichi would say, but the words refuse to leave his mouth.

“I’m happy if you’re happy, Shuuichi.” Kaito pats him on the shoulder.

Shuuichi stays silent as he makes his walk down home.

  
  


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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -  
> beta reading? what's that lol  
> Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter! It's the same as the last. also I just realised the typos in the poem so please murder me. Comment a word [or two, i'm not sure if i'll get enough this time or not] and the first 20 will be chosen.  
> Anyways, I made chibis for the dangan dokis!!  
> -  
> https://twitter.com/booperbeanv3/status/1316897007127175168  
> -  
> I was thinking of making a separate fic that follows ddlc canon. I'll most likely copy-paste act 1 in here [with kaede's dialogue and poems changed] but act 2 will be completely different. Would anyone actually read it?  
> 


	3. Heart [and Head] Throbbing Panic!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi sharply inhales. “Kaede! Where’s my uh..” A bout of silence. “You know! I know you hid it-”
> 
> Kaede stands up from her place. “Your manga, right,” Kokichi’s face pales. “I had to move it onto the top shelf along with a few other books because one of the teachers didn’t like the space being taken up.”
> 
> “Yeah! That! Wait- Top shelf?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kokichi won yet again
> 
> i'm not putting in results because last time i did that, the draft corrupted and i lost all my effort  
> the cg art link is here
> 
> https://twitter.com/booperbeanv3/status/1321622282427576321?s=19
> 
> it's technically for saiou week ahahahahha casual promo for the saiou pit discord um.
> 
> it's not mine but. join. i rant about the au - https://discord.gg/FeuwRsA
> 
> also owner is really nice and writes banger fics  
> also a variety of different fic authors and fan artists are really great here. please. it's amazing  
> but anyways i digress  
> minor trigger warning for suicide in kaito's poem  
> off we go !! into the unknown that is Bisexual Poetry Club !!!  
> -

**_…_ **

**_CG Unlocked!_ **

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-

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Who knew writing poetry would be so draining? Definitely not Shuuichi. After a good few hours of torn up prompts and regular classes, another day passes and Shuuichi’s back outside the literature club.

Sure, this whole thing isn’t a competition, but getting to know the other club members has built up some unneeded anxiety in him. 

_‘Your poem is really dull, I hope you know that.’_

Entering the clubroom, he’s immediately greeted by Kaito with his signature manly [i.e painful] pat on the back. Shuuichi coughs.

“Shuuichi! Glad to see you again!”

“We met up for lunch just a few hours ago,” Shuuichi mumbles, sliding a calloused hand off his shoulder. To be fair, lunch is usually the time when Kaito scolds him for eating small portions and talks about whatever wild adventures he’s been on. Shuuichi doesn’t get to respond much himself. Kaito probably sees this club as a way to interact with him more. Shuuichi should probably talk to him more then…

“Yeah ok, but I’m still getting used to you being in the club.”

That’s fair enough, Shuuichi supposes. It’s a strange thing to get excited about, but Kaito’s so optimistic he can find extra joy in any situation, so it isn’t very surprising. 

Shuuichi looks around, trying to see if anything different has changed. Well, two people seem to be missing…

“Where’s Kaede?” Shuuichi asks, scanning the room again. Kokichi isn’t there either but he’s probably off doing his own thing. He’ll trust Kaede’s words from yesterday. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to chase around.

Tsumugi has her head buried in her book so she doesn’t respond. Shuuichi turns to Kaito for an answer. He shrugs. “She’s probably off practising piano or something. I’m surprised they let her play even though she isn’t in Light Music.”

Shuuichi opens his mouth to respond. Instead, he lets out a high pitched yelp when he feels two small hands on each of his shoulders. He stumbles on both feet, almost falling over.

“She’s with her girlfriend!” Kokichi giggles, wrapping his legs around Shuuichi’s waist and gripping the other’s blazer with his fists to stay attached. Shuuichi stumbles over his words, trying to announce that he was lying but Kaito interrupts with a “Hey! Get off of him!” without doing much else.

Still. Shuuichi found it odd how Kokichi has mentioned it twice now. Was Kaede interested in someone or was it one of Kokichi’s inside lie joke things? Shuuichi could just be overthinking this… Is he interested in Kaede? Wait, no...

Kokichi snickers. He twitches slightly, dark purple hair falling over his face to cast a shadow. It’s quite freaky to look at, but Shuuichi wouldn’t know—Kokichi is behind him—however Kaito seems visibly uncomfortable. Shuuichi can only imagine how bad it looks.

“Whatcha gonna do, pull me off? You’re just standing there like an idiot!”

Shuuichi sighs, attempting to nudge the smaller boy off of him. No matter how many times Kaito would force him to exercise, he wasn’t cut out for carrying heavy objects. Kokichi was still a pain to lift, but he seemed to be about the weight of an elementary schooler. It works for his height, but he’s in his last year of high school. Shouldn’t he have gotten a growth spurt by now?

Kaito hesitates before speaking. “We both know that if I even attempt to grab you, you’re gonna reel back so far that Shuuichi falls over with you,” Kaito states blankly, trying to hide his fear. “You avoid touch like a cat avoids water. Speaking of, you do act like one too.”

“Meanie! I’m not _that_ pathetic!” Kokichi hops off of Shuuichi’s back, wobbling once his feet hit the floor. Now that he’s down, Shuuichi can get a good look of his face but Kokichi has already reverted to his default expression.

“Come on dude, I can literally pick you up right here,” Kaito laughs. Kokichi sits down on the table behind him and huffs, crossing his arms. 

“You’re so rude! Shuuichi, you know I’m strong!”

Tsumugi suddenly snorts from the back of the classroom. Kokichi shoots a sharp glare at her, causing her to raise her head from her book.

“Ah, I didn’t mean to listen in but… It’s hard not to when Kokichi’s acting like an idiot.”

“Oi!”

“It’s true! It’s quite rude of my plain self, but I can’t help it.” Tsumugi rests her cheek in the palm of her hand.

“Mugiiii… Kaito’s a dirty liar!! You know I’m strong!” Kokichi attempts to get Tsumugi on his side. Kaito lets out an exasperated sigh. “You can be such a kid sometimes… Hell, you _look_ like one!”

Tsumugi hums. “You can barely carry your book bag up to the clubroom. Sorry, can’t defend you here.”

“Ghk--!” Kokichi chokes, “Clean your glasses, why don’t ya? Besides, it’s not _my_ fault that books are so damn heavy!” 

Another giggle from Tsumugi as she covers the lower half of her face with her hand.

“Gosh, you’re an idiot. Butting into conversations where you don’t belong… You don’t even have anything interesting to say!” Kokichi starts swinging his legs.

“Again, it’s just plain rude of my plain self!” Tsumugi agrees. “Especially because it’s a conversation with the Vice Pre-”

Kokichi whips his head around. “Oh shut up!”

Tsumugi shuts up fairly quickly, going back to her novel. Kokichi sinks in his seat. His tone was full of irritation, yet his expression was completely void of it.

“Shuuichi,” He looks up at him; Shuuichi grips the brim of his hat. 

“Come on. I’m hungry, grab me a snack or a drink or something.” Kokichi fishes his wallet out of his pocket.

Kaito speaks up. “He isn’t your servant-”

“Well now he is! He’s my special subordinate, and if he doesn’t do what I say, he gets beheaded!” Kokichi exclaims cheerfully, rummaging through his wallet before putting it back. “So he’s gonna pay for it too.”

“Kokichi…” Shuuichi trails off, unsure on how to respond. He fumbles with the cap, lightly scratching at the material with his fingernail. 

Kaito grumbles, muttering a bit of incomprehensible nonsense before reaching into his own pocket. “Don’t make it other people’s responsibility to give you shit because you’re horrible with money.”

“Aww.. You got me… I’m broke! Such a shame that I can barely afford to keep myself fed every day, neeheehee!” Kokichi folds his hands behind his head, keeping the same joy as before. 

Broke? Kokichi’s words repeat in his mind. Shuuichi frowns. “That’s-”

“That’s a lie, you’re correct!”

Shuuichi bites his lower lip. That’s _not_ what he was going to say, but go off.

“Man, you’re a lot more perceptive than I thought…” Kokichi lightly taps his chin with his index finger. “I have enough on me, I just wanted to leech off of you two~”

Kaito clenches his fists, taking his hand out of his pocket.“Son of a- Then what was the point?!”

“I just wanted to fuck with you guys. Duh! Why else do I lie?” Kokichi tilts his head to the side.

A variety of different thoughts race through Shuuichi’s mind, mostly of concern. Is that why Kokichi can’t get a new blazer? That could be for a different reason though… Besides, Kaede said he was just ‘like that’. A nuisance. Strange. Perhaps she didn’t mean physically careful with him, but careful of his own belongings.

By the time Shuuichi has tuned back into reality, Kokichi is off the table and bothering Kaito. 

Kokichi waves his hands around Kaito’s face. “But still! Hey hey, I challenge you! I’ll get some milk puzzles from the after school club. Whoever can finish one before the other gets to pay for snacks!”

“You rigged the puzzle last time, you little cheat! I’m not falling for that again!” Kaito’s eyes dart around to follow the smaller’s movements.

Shuuichi thinks. Didn’t Kaede say he worked better to solve issues without her presence? He seems to be causing all of them. Or did he mishear her?

“Don’t let me suffer!! I’m a starving orphan!” Kokichi starts his waterfall of fake tears. 

“I’m pretty sure you deserve it this time!”

The pair continue to bicker as the two bluenettes observe in worried silence. Tsumugi dog-ears the page she was reading and closes her book, standing up and retrieving a granola bar from her bag. She squints slightly before chucking the bar at Kokichi’s head.

“Ah- Ow!! Shuui- Huh?”  
Kokichi picks the snack up off of the floor. He glances at Tsumugi before looking at a very confused Shuuichi next. 

“Normally Kaede would have some on her to shut you up but she doesn’t seem to be here today. It seems my plain self will do.”

“She isn’t here?” Kokichi glances around the room after. “Oh right! _That’s_ why she didn’t intervene! Bummer.. I guess I’m so used to it that I forgot she wasn’t here...”

“You caused this whole fiasco for Kaede’s attention?!” Kaito shouts in disbelief.

“Yeah! She gets all cranky and pouty and it’s entertaining to watch. She’s just like a mother!”

Tsumugi furrows her brows. “So you were never hungry?”

“Well-”

Kaede flings the door open, gasping for air near the doorway. One by one, each club member’s heads turn to face her, including Shuuichi. 

“Sorry!” She pants. “I’m super sorry, I got distracted and didn’t hear the bell! Ahah… I just have this big concerto coming up and I got a little carried away while practising…”

Kokichi sighs. He approaches the exhausted pianist and hands the granola bar over to her. “And I’m guessing you did that during lunch as well and forgot to eat. Dumbass.”

Kaede shakes her head rapidly, refusing to take it. “No no no! It’s fine! I have my own with me!”

“Yeah, which _you_ got for _me._ It’s a bit busted because _someone_ decided to hurl it across the room, but it’s still edible.” 

Tsumugi looks away. Kaede groans. “You can’t just give it to me… You barely eat anything to begin with!”

“Just take the stupid bar, idiot!” Kokichi shoves it into Kaede’s hands.

Kaede huffs. “You’re an idiot too, y’know.” Kaede gives Kokichi one of her own and tears the wrapper off the one she was given.

_‘They- They could’ve just eaten the ones they had?’_ Shuuichi thinks, baffled at the interaction.

“ _Anyways_ ,” Kokichi takes a bite out of his snack. “Where’s the concerto?”

The two continue to chat about details and times. From five minutes to ten, ten to fifteen. 

“Uhm… Kaede?” Kaito attempts to grab her attention. He taps her shoulder a few times. “Kaede-”

“Ah-” Kaede seems to snap out of it. “Sorry! Sorry, I get a bit excited with these kinds of things…” She scratches the back of her head.

Kokichi states where the event will be held and Kaede wishes for the others to attend. Shuuichi could probably talk to his uncle about it after the club meeting. Kaede seems so passionate about the topic… It’s admirable.

“I look forward to attending!” Shuuichi winces at the embarrassingly loud voice crack as he speaks. He feels his face getting redder once Kaede smiles sweetly at him. “Is that so? Ahah.. I’m glad you’re so eager! I hope to see you there!”

Shuuichi nods, maybe a tad bit too quickly. He tightly grips the brim of his hat and lowers it slightly. “Mhm! Y-You too!” 

_‘Of course she’s gonna be there! It’s_ **_her_ ** _concerto!’_ _  
  
_

“So, did I miss anything?”

“Ah.. N-Not really, no. Nothing out of the ordinary.” What would Shuuichi even consider ordinary? He’s only been here for two days. Ah well, Kaito would probably complain to Kaede about the snack situation later. 

Speaking of, Kaito is back at his desk with that same textbook from yesterday.

Tsumugi is over at her usual spot beside the wall, indulging in her novel.

Kaede is peering under the teacher’s desk for some odd reason.

Kokichi has disappeared into the closet, looking for something to entertain himself with.

What could he be looking for? Shuuichi’s interest is perked up further once he hears an exasperated sigh from within the closet, so he approaches Kokichi in case he needs assistance.

“Fucking bitch… Kaede never puts my shit back in the right place..” Kokichi grumbles, gritting his teeth in frustration. He slides a few boxes and stacked books around in an attempt to look for his collection. His breath hitches and he grips at the shelf in silence.

“Fucking… Where is it?!” Another few tosses and now a stack of books has fallen out, landing on the floor with a loud thump.

Kokichi sharply inhales. “Kaede! Where’s my uh..” A bout of silence. “You know! I know you hid it-”

Kaede stands up from her place. “Your manga, right,” Kokichi’s face pales. “I had to move it onto the top shelf along with a few other books because one of the teachers didn’t like the space being taken up.”

“Yeah! That! Wait- Top shelf?!”

Another groan. Kokichi turns back and jumps up. There it is, a pack of neatly lined up manga volumes in their own special case. Kokichi chews his lower lip.

“Mmgh…!! Whatever! I didn’t want to read anyway.” 

Kokichi turns to Shuuichi. “You! Follow me. If you can’t get snacks for me then you’re gonna help out with something else.” Kokichi grabs Shuuichi’s forearm and speed-walks out of the classroom. 

“K- Kokichi!” Shuuichi yelps and stumbles, following behind. It’s not like he had any choice.

“Ah- Kokichi! Pick the books up at least!” By the time Kaede announces that, the two boys have already disappeared from the clubroom. She huffs and decides to put them back herself.

  
  
  
  
  


Kokichi slows down once he’s in the hallway, muttering a string of insults towards Kaede. “Subordinate! Actually wait, I should give you a nickname if you’re gonna be my dummy member…”

“Please don’t-”

An idea clicks in his head. “Shumai! Because I ran out of card related names.”

“Eh?!” Shuuichi soon realises that his blush may have never gone away. And if it did, it’s back and way stronger now. Ah, that reasoning doesn’t sound right but...

“But I lied. Stupid Kaito calls his girlfriend Maki-Roll so I’m stealing that idea.”

Nevermind. There it is.

“So so so! Believe it or not, I’ve been cursed by an evil witch to be super tiny, so you’re gonna help me grab all the stuff I need.”

Shuuichi blinks once, twice, three times before responding. “Uh.. Uhm… Stuff you need?”

“For the festival, bozo! I know you were listening in. I may have been distracted but I’m not an idiot. I’ll just be grabbing some pens and paper and glue. Maybe some colouring pencils. Posters ‘n’ shit.”

“Ah.. Right… What exactly are we doing for the festival anyway?” Shuuichi asks, still following along as Kokichi continues to drag him.

“Oh, right. We’ll be doing a poetry performance! Everyone takes turns on stage and recites their favourite poems. Kaede’s been really excited about the subject ever since you joined. Kinda strange since it was a last minute decision _and_ she lied about my involvement! How cruel!”

Shuuichi frowns. “She did?” He should have expected this, really. Kaede’s response was quite forced and Kokichi seemed annoyed at her even mentioning him with that.

“Uh huh. Her little comment towards me was _very_ uncalled for too. But hey, she’s just ‘looking out for me’. I guess.” Kokichi reaches the end of the hallway and presses his hand against one of the doors. It opens, and he drags Shuuichi inside.

“But I digress. You pretty much have to put as much emotion into your reading as possible. Just enough so it’s not melodramatic, though. Take that how you want, we’ll be practising in a few days.”

Hm. That sounds a bit dull, but there isn’t much they can do. Literature isn’t really the kind of subject fit for an event that’s so active.

Kokichi releases Shuuichi and opens the storage closet. “Alright..! Colours!” he says determinedly. He makes a futile hop upwards only realise that he’s still quite short. “... Get me a stool!” He keeps his tone the same. 

Shuuichi holds back a snicker and takes one of the foldable ones from inside the closet. He opens it up and lets Kokichi step on top.  
“Woah..” It wobbles underneath his feet. He grabs the box of colouring pencils from the shelf he previously couldn’t reach. Kokichi drops it down to Shuuichi and looks for the next item.

“Poster paper.. poster paper.. poster paper…” Kokichi repeats under his breath, completely absorbed in finding the object. “Poster-” He then slams his elbow against the shelf. 

“Aah! Ow! **_Ow!!_ **” He grips his arm, knees weak. The stool wobbles once more.

“Kokichi! Do you need any he-”

Before Shuuichi can finish, the stool topples over and Kokichi comes flying down. Shuuichi screeches and closes his eyes, getting ready to face the incoming impact.

The full force of Kokichi’s body against him throws him to the ground. Shuuichi hits his head against the wall behind him and Kokichi ends up face down on Shuuichi’s stomach. 

“Ghk--!! Ow!!” Shuuichi coughs, moving Kokichi’s head off. “Oh no..” Next thing he knows, a throbbing pain stabs into the back on his skull.

“Ow…” Shuuichi rubs the area, but that only seems to make it worse. He jolts.

Kokichi slides down only to feel Shuuichi buck his hips slightly. Now his head is in his lap.

“Mh-!” Kokichi immediately shoves himself off. “Ah! Ew! Gross!” He shakes his head rapidly. “I’m traumatised! How dare you!”

“Ngh… _You_ were the one who moved!”

“Ehh? I’m sure you pushed me down! Ahah! I didn’t realise Shumai was such a pervert!” His eyes are wide and his voice cracks. Kokichi seems to be too embarrassed to form a proper tease at the moment. 

A harsh blush reddens his cheeks and his lips press into a thin line. He sits still on the floor, trying to collect his thoughts on what just happened. 

“Wh-What are you sitting there for? Get the stupid paper!”

A stutter? He wishes he could mess with Kokichi over it. Shuuichi tries to stand up, but the pain in his head is hard to ignore. 

“Can you get me an ice pack first at least? You fell on top of me!” Shuuichi swallows. Oh. Oh he sounded a lot more irritated than he intended.

“Mm… Nope! I’m pretty sure I broke my arm on the way down, neeheehee!” Kokichi’s elbow still hurts, sure, but he could probably ignore it for now. Hm… Shuuichi would probably need some ice. Is the nurse’s office still open? Even if it was, it would probably be locked during this hour..

“Give me your wallet. I’ll get a cold drink from the vending machine to put against the bump.”

Shuuichi gives him a confused look. “Are- Are you sure? You really don’t have to..” He slowly takes a handful of coins and notes out of his pocket.

Kokichi takes them. “Gross. At least keep them in a small bag or something! I don’t want your sweat on me. I’ll be back in a minute, alright? Or maybe I’ll just leave you here to suffer. Toodles!”

Kokichi runs out into the hallway and Shuuichi’s left trying to deal with the dull ache. He can’t really do much to help it, so he grabs the handle of the closet door and stands up. He goes into the closet and takes a stack of poster paper. Heavy… That’ll take some effort to carry. Next are pens. He doesn’t know what they’ll be used for, so he grabs a set of multi-coloured ones. By the time he’s taken them and placed them on the desk behind him, Kokichi is back with two bottles of grape soda.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, I couldn’t resist- Shumai! Sit back down, I didn’t tell you to move!”

Shuuichi sighs and sits at the same desk. Kokichi had just told him to take the paper a few moments ago. Something had probably made him change his mind.

“Take it.” Kokichi puts the drink on the table. Shuuichi does so, placing the end of the bottle on the wounded area. It fits quite snugly, which concerns Shuuichi. How big was the bump…?

Meanwhile, Kokichi has screwed open the cap on the second bottle and started drinking from the second soda. He’s sitting atop the desk beside him, dangling his legs off the edge per usual. The toothpaste stain from yesterday is still on his tie and there seems to be some-

“You know I’m gonna actually think you’re a pervert if you keep on staring at me like that, right?”

“Ah, sorry!” Shuuichi squeaks. Right! This is quite cliché… He looks away and keeps the bottle on his head.

“Do you mind if I get my change back?”

“I don’t have it.”

Shuuichi’s eyes widen. “Wha- You just lost it?!”

“It got away! It got sucked in by the vending machine monster! Y’know, you drop a bunch of coins and zzrp! They’re all gone. That’s because of the vending machine monster coming for your money! Stupid leech…”

Another few sips. Monster, huh? It seems like a stretch but… “Kokichi, why did you have to drag me along to the closet?”

“Eeh? Because I’m short. I already told you.”

“The stool was still here though, and you knew it was there based on your comment after getting here. Couldn’t you have just gotten the stuff by yourself?”

Kokichi hums. “Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows? Perhaps I knew I was going to fall and so I brought you as a live cushion, or maybe it’s because I can’t bear a second without you. You’re always on my mind, y’know? Believe what you wanna believe. I won’t stop you.”

Of course Kokichi wouldn’t give a straight answer… That’s just how it is. Shuuichi could just be a sick masochist—a pervert, if you may—but Kokichi’s falsehoods and twists and turns in narrative made him interesting to listen too. Quite frustrating, sure, but still interesting.

Shuuichi gets up, the bottle remaining where it was. “Whatever you say, Kokichi. We should probably head back. I don’t want Kaede to think you killed me or something.” He lets out a dry chuckle near the end. It surely felt like he did.

Shuuichi takes the paper and stacks the pencils and pens on top before following Kokichi out of the classroom.

  
  
  
  


“Ah, you’re back! Good timing, I was about to start with sharing our poems.” Kaede greets the two once they enter the classroom. Shuuichi had removed the bottle by then and was going to give it to Kokichi, but was stopped.

  
  
  


_“You can keep it, I’ve got plenty more at home anyway. Keep it as a memory of me, I guess.”_

_“Eh- What? Why would I need that-” Shuuichi is cut off by a sudden laugh from the other boy._

_“You never know when I might dip and leave.”_

_Dip and… Leave?_

_“Ahahahahah! The look on your face! Did you actually believe me? Moron!” he cackles, continuing to laugh and laugh and laugh._

_“I’d never have the guts to do that. I’d never have the guts to leave you alone like that. I’m too good for you, you need someone like that in your life.”_

_Is that supposed to be reassuring? Shuuichi doesn’t see it. Is Kokichi really_ **_that_ ** _egotistical for that to be his most genuine sounding thought?_

_“But that’s also why I could leave.”_

_Shuuichi perks his head up._

_“Because this place is too gross and awful for someone as great as me to stay.”_

_It’s strange. The words echo in Shuuichi’s head, trying to find some, no, any meaning out of it. Was it just some elaborate setup? His wording was fairly vague after all…_

_Kokichi grips the door handle and lets Shuuichi into the clubroom. He soon follows after._

  
  
  


“Shuuichi!” Kaede grabs his shoulder and shakes him. “Wake up! We still have to share poems, y’know?” She pouts, just like the one Kokichi described. Said boy was already at his bag, retrieving his poem like Tsumugi and Kaito. Were his eyes fooling him or did Kokichi’s bag seem fuller than usual?

“Kokichi already told me everything. You can always fill up a ziplock back with dish soap and freeze that for an easy cold pack. Take it easy, alright?” Kaede pats his back. Shuuichi flinches. It still stings slightly from Kaito’s gesture earlier.

Kaede turns to face the others.

“Ok, everyone! Get ready to share your poems!”  
She takes her own from her bag. Yet another sheet of crumpled sheet music. 

Shuuichi does the same except his poem is in one of his many spiral notebooks.

He should probably go in the same order as he did yesterday. It works in his favour too.

Kokichi seems to be fairly honest in his writing and his analysis of it. That talk concerned him. It wouldn’t hurt to know more about his deeper thoughts, would it?

  
  
  


“It’s just as awful as yesterday’s!”

Ouch. Those words go straight to his heart.

“...Which you should know is a lie by now. Idiot.” Kokichi smacks the top of Shuuichi’s head with the page. Shuuichi winces.

“Stop being good at writing. You’re making me look stupid in comparison, especially when _I’m_ supposed to be the one impressing everyone with my superior writing skills. Not the other way around.”

“My writing impresses you?” Shuuichi repeats.

“Of course it does! Geez, it’s almost as if you’re writing it to be this way. Again, it’s not supposed to be like that! _I’m_ supposed to be the jester with the hat that jingles in a merry way that pleases the king. The hat being the poem, the words being the jingles and-”

“And?”

“... You’re not the king.”

“A shame,” Shuuichi responds dryly. He can only assume it’s Kaede next.

“Are you trying to court me? How sneaky, but I see through your ways. Unfortunately, my heart has already been taken by a mage with hair as red as a maple leaf. But I lied, I’m always up for that kind of relationship with you!”

Back at it again, huh?

“ _Anyways,_ just take my poem. Skim through it, read it in depth. Believe it or not, I didn’t toss any ugly scribbles all over the paper and neatened my handwriting. Do whatever.”

It… It reveals nothing?!  
Wait, hold on…

“Yep! Bet you didn’t see that coming! Neeheehee!”

Shuuichi lets out a heavy sigh. The meaning is pretty simple to understand. Right? The end might raise a few eyebrows but that’s about it. Shuuichi thinks he’ll just let Kokichi explain this one.

“So I got into an argument with Kaito yesterday and he made me feel angry. To prove that I am superior, this is my callout post for Mr Kaito Momota. That’s right. He dissed my fucking cookies. That’s all.”

That’s really it? Shuuichi reads through it one last time. Well, Kokichi sure is fond of baking. That’s for sure.

“You bake for attention?” Shuuichi asks. 

“I’m not that shallow. It’s still something I enjoy doing, and it’s still comforting for me. The attention and praise is an added bonus. Their approval keeps me motivated. If they can ignore all my flaws for five minutes of chocolate heaven, I can hope that maybe I’m not so hated after all.”

Shuuichi takes a moment to digest what he was just told. Again. Kokichi must have dialed his confusingness up for today. He’s said a lot of questionable things ever since the club meeting had started.

“Do you like it or not? I don’t care if you think I’m an attention seek, just appreciate the poem.”

“It’s relatable,” Shuuichi answers. It almost reminds him of his own hobbies and talents. He manages to find _one_ bit of evidence and now he’s a prodigy. Fine _one_ pet alligator and now he’s the most popular person in his class. Only sticking around because of praise, even if it isn’t well deserved.

Kokichi laughs. “Careful~ Relate too much and I might corrupt you.” He takes his sheet of paper back from Shuuichi and hands the other poem back.

“I find the topic interesting though. Staying around in situations you don’t like because of a twisted benefit you receive. Sure, you technically enjoy it too, but less and less now that you know you’re being used for it. But hey, at least I’m likeable for something around here.”

A dry chuckle. “I wonder if you’re only getting so close for the cookies as well. I won’t forgive you if things turn out that way.”

Shuuichi swallows. He technically did.

  
  
  
  


“This one’s even creepier than the last!” Kaito grips the page, trembling slightly. “L- Look, maybe just stay away from the whole ghost topic, alright? Ahah.. That’s all I have to say, I can’t read this.”

Kaito sets the poem ink down on the table.

“Maybe I just haven’t been feeling well today or something. Still a bit shaken up or something.”

“Kaito…” Shuuichi trails off. He didn’t mean to make the other uncomfortable, although it was entirely his own fault. Kaito has always expressed a fear towards ghosts and the supernatural. Shuuichi must have forgotten while writing.

“You can read my poem. Hopefully it doesn’t freak you out too much.”

Shuuichi takes the paper from Kaito and starts to read

…

Freaky…

“I had a strange dream last night so I wrote about it. That’s also why I titled the poem like that. It was really weird, I didn’t like it.” Kaito’s voice sounds drained and empty just from speaking about the topic. 

“O-Oh… Well, it’s kind of…”

“So we both made each other uncomfortable with our poems. We’re even now, so don’t feel bad or anything!” Kaito grins. “It’s alright.”

He sighs. “I don’t know what happened or what it meant, but I can give my best shot at an explanation.”

A moment of silence.

“That figure was you, I’m pretty sure. Your hair is more teal if anything, but lighting can mess things up. It might’ve been a feeling of hopelessness. You don’t know what’s happening. You never knew things were like this. You start to panic, and it’s already over. The person who’s made up most of your being is just… Gone.”

Kaito is worried about him killing himself? That’s not… Like him at all… No wonder why he sounds so sorrowful.

“Th- That must’ve been really frightening..” Shuuichi mumbles. He wishes he could say something of use. Literally _anything_ that isn’t what he just attempted to say.

“That’s not really the worst part though. It’s the hunch I got after. Like something really bad is going to happen, maybe related to that dream.” Kaito scratches the back of his neck, not casually like he would normally, but out of stress. “I- I don’t want to lose you.”

Now the air has grown stagnant. That was… Depressing to say the least. 

  
  
  
  


“Mm… I’m sorry for going so harsh on you the other day. I really had no idea what I was talking about… But I do see improvement!” Tsumugi nods, scanning the poem once again. “I’m glad you tried using metaphors to express your feelings. Well, assuming they’re actually yours and you’re not just trying to please.”

Something about Tsumugi’s statement feels bitter. Has she caught on? Is that why she’s holding her critique back?

“I-I’m not. I do appreciate your words, once again.” Shuuichi takes his poem back, anxiety bubbling back in his system. Ahh… Tsumugi really hates it, doesn’t she?

“This is the part where you’re supposed to read my poem, but I don’t have much to say about it being honest here. It’s nothing much, just me rambling about people not liking my hobbies…” Tsumugi cups her own cheek.

“What kind of hobbies?”

“Oh, I cosplay. The poem was really short too. The whole thing was just me getting upset because I felt like my efforts were useless. Making all these costumes and dressing up to bring fiction into reality, only to be mocked and ridiculed for it. It’s an awful feeling! But since it was nothing more than a vent, I don’t want to share it.”

Tsumugi has a lot of passion for her pastime… It’s a shame that Shuuichi wouldn’t be able to read what she wrote. He takes his poem back.

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Ooh! This one’s interesting!” Kaede flips the page over. “I like the atmosphere you’ve set up. A lot of stuff that Kokichi would like.”

There she goes again. Kaede the magic mind reader, knowing who exactly the poem was written for. Perhaps it’s because she has known Kokichi for longer and most likely has a deep bond with him. Shuuichi doesn’t know.

“Mhm.. He sure likes it. He thinks I’m trying to impress him.”

“That’s because you are, silly!” Kaede smiles.

Definitely a magic mind reader. 

“It’s not a bad thing though, I recommended getting closer after all. I don’t mean any pressure though! It’s not a competition, especially with people like him. So don’t worry about your current writing style, alright?”

Shuuichi nods twice. “I didn’t find that very pressuring, but I’ll keep what you said in mind.”

“Well alright. Do you want to read my poem now?”

“Alright,” Shuuichi takes the sheet music from Kaede. “Let’s see..”

“Oh, it’s nice,” Shuuichi finds himself smiling near the end. 

“It’s all just self-indulgent fluff to make myself feel better. It’s not all filler though. Sometimes it’s nice writing about your own admiration for someone. Like a personal letter to them letting them know how much you adore them! I don’t mean an actual letter though, just something like this poem. Nobody has to know!”

Kaede may have intended this, but it definitely cheered him up as well. A bit of fluff like that is never all that bad. As cliché as it sounds, surrounding his writing with positive prompts and ideas could probably help him feel less like he’s opening up deep insecurities he doesn’t want to open and more like the fun activity he’s really doing.

Is he going to write something nice and positive after this?  
Absolutely not. He’s still trying to impress Kokichi like a goofball. 

“Unfortunately I don’t have a very good Writing Tip of the Day, but a lot of the things you write can really dictate how you feel. Sometimes searching up resources for negative topics can make you feel awful, or even distress you. There’s nothing wrong with venting, but it doesn’t have to be like that all the time.”

Kaede twists a bit of her hair around her finger. “Ah, I sound like an idiot saying all of this. Hopefully you can get something meaningful out of it. But anyways, that’s my advice for today!”

Kaede takes her sheet back and puts it in her bag.

“Ok, everyone! Again, deep apologies for arriving so late… We don’t have enough time to do anything else.. However! Along with writing your poems, I hope it isn’t too much of a hassle to write a second one or choose one online to recite tomorrow.” Kaede can feel Kokichi’s glare from across the room. A bead of sweat drips down her forehead. This was actually his idea this time.

“After all, the festival is coming in a few days, so we should start preparing as soon as possible! One of the events will be poem recitation after all.”

Tsumugi looks at Kaede nervously. “Right.. I’m not sure if it would be the best idea to participate. I don’t really do well with last minute preparations, and I worry that some members might procrastinate…”

Kokichi tosses his last few supplies into his bag and skips up next to Kaede. “It sounds real boring, but we’re keeping it simple because of that. Just a few posters, pamphlets, banners and snacks. We can’t do anything too flashy as some mundane book club, now can we?”

Kaede nods in agreement. “Message me or Kokichi over LIME about what you’ll be reading out too. I’ll make sure to put it in the pamphlet.

Tsumugi and Kaito nod as well. 

“Anyways, the meeting is officially over. Talk to me if you have any issues!”

Kaito wordlessly approaches the exit, assuming Shuuichi will follow behind. He does, leaving the clubroom with him.

  
  


The walk back home is awkward and uncomfortable. There’s no sound besides footsteps and pedestrians walking down the street. 

Maybe this day just wasn’t it. 

Kaito keeps a somber expression as he stays by Shuuichi’s side.

“Hey, Kaito?” Shuuichi starts. Kaito turns his head. “What do you need?”

Shuuichi hesitates. “I-It’s- Well uhm…” Does he bail? Say ‘oh, nevermind!’ and go about his day?

He feels like Kaito needs this. He’s probably going to hate this later, but he decides to embrace Kaito. Just for a moment before immediately breaking contact and readjusting his hat. 

“I-I’m really sorry! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Shuuichi has already begun to speed away before Kaito can even respond properly. Ah well. He can only wish for Kaito to feel better tomorrow.

-

-

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome back. pick three words for the character you want and i'll pick the first 20 i get. per usual.  
> i've been brainstorming ideas for lcv3 [the edition where people die] and that's why i have added this fic to a series. so technically it's a quadrilogy !! wahoo !! but you don't have to read this fic to get the others i'll write  
> -  
> cg art that i drew twitter link - https://twitter.com/booperbeanv3/status/1321622282427576321?s=19  
> saiou pit discord link - https://discord.gg/FeuwRsA  
> -


	4. Bullet Time Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuuichi sits down next to him and takes a sheet of paper. “Wouldn’t this be better suited for printing?”
> 
> “Nah, my handwriting can be neat enough when I want it to be so a printer isn’t needed. Plus, I wanna make every poster look different! Maybe there's a small easter egg in each illustration.” Kokichi takes a sheet and a pencil and starts sketching a large circle in the centre of the page. Stars, bubble writing, pill things[?], a pen and a page.
> 
> _Dangan Literature Club!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi has won the poem game! Wow, shocker. Since this is technically a 'filler day' [it didn't happen in ddlc] i've got some new plans for how things'll work out. I guess you could consider this as what act 2 should be like?  
> Also also! I made a cool little sprite for our cheeky vice president.
> 
> I have a tumblr now [ booperbeanv3.tumblr.com ] so i'll be linking it from there  
> even though it's on my twitter buried in the replies.
> 
> I digress. Here's your [new Tumblr sexyman](https://booperbeanv3.tumblr.com/post/633747792548036608/your-eyes-look-like-a-racoons-do-you-sleep-or)
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy today's chapter !!

-

-

-

Ever since that unfortunate day, Kaito has been following Shuuichi around like a lost puppy at school. The whole situation had crept into Shuuichi’s mind while writing last night and he hopes he didn’t make it too obvious in his poem.

Ah, whatever. As long as the writing is good, it won’t matter.

Shuuichi reaches for the door handle, but Kaito decides to fling the door open instead.

_ ‘What’s with everyone doing that?! It’s like they can’t just… Open a door normally..’ _

“Evening, folks! Ah-- Kaede?” Kaito looks around. It’s just like yesterday--Kokichi and Kaede seem to be absent once again. He furrows his brows, confused and concerned.

Tsumugi is reading peacefully in her usual corner next to the supply closet. She has an intense look on her face, unlike the one before when she was eavesdropping. Nothing seems to be able to stop Tsumugi from getting absorbed into her novel.

Shuuichi can only assume that Kaede is practising piano and Kokichi is being Kokichi somewhere in an alternate dimension.

Her dedication to her talent is quite inspiring, however from what he can remember she doesn’t seem to handle it all that well. Arriving late to classes and meetings, sleeping in class because she passed out at 5am--and from what he can assume--forgetting to eat as well.

Shocker. Shuuichi realises that she isn’t a perfect goddess who has the whole world wrapped around her finger [or this school at least]. 

Well then, if neither are here then the next option is to hang out with Kaito.

  
“So,” Shuuichi begins, hesitantly looking up. “Hm?” Kaito looks down and Shuuichi immediately starts fidgeting with his hat. “A- About that book you were reading earlier, what is it about?”

Kaito’s eyes seem to light up, almost as if he was expecting this question to come soon enough. 

“Oh! Well, yeah Kokichi was right for once. It’s a textbook,” he scratches the back of his neck before taking the book out of his bag. Despite knowing each other for so long, Shuuichi never would’ve guessed that Kaito did that out of habit while anxious. Now it’s the Kaede thing again. The optimistic ray of sunshine can’t be anxious! He’s not supposed to be!

“It’s all about space and the universe! Pretty awesome, right? It’s chock full of stuff to memorise so I’ll never run out of conversation topics!”

So that’s how he does it… Memorising. For someone who hates studying so much, he surely loves to research complex topics. “I can’t do that kind of stuff at home so I thought this club would buy me some time.”

“Well then why didn’t you join the homework club so you can get that done as well?” Shuuichi speaks without thinking. It made sense to him! If he joined the literature club so he could finally learn more about space, couldn’t he join the homework club to finally get his work done instead of turning it in late every time?

Kaito huffs in response. “Oh come on, sidekick, we can only really join one club a year! Well, we can always switch but I actually like it here. Knowing all about space can land me a pretty good job when I’m older. What’s all that important in homework?”

“Actually passing highschool,” Shuuichi mumbles, hoping that Kaito didn’t hear him. “Ah- Erm- But still! Uh… Why space of all things? It looks pretty and the stars are nice but that whole subject is kind of…” he trails off.

“Yeah, ok, these kinds of things are boring, whatever, but they count as literature! They’re more informative and literature-y than Kokichi’s manga anyway-”

“You take that back!!” Kokichi slams the clubroom door open, further proving Shuuichi’s point that nobody knows how to open doors properly here. Kaede seems to be behind him, gripping his hand.

“Apologies once again!” Kaede hastily adds, raising her free hand up.

“Piano, right?” Shuuichi asks. Kaede nods.

“And because this dummy refused to eat,” she points at Kokichi only to realise he said the same thing and is pointing at her as well.

“Ah-- That’s my line!” In sync once again. Kokichi snorts. “You’re an idiot.”

Tsumugi lifts her head up. “Holding hands? How lewd! But I’m glad you chose the club over your boyfriend. You’re so strong willed!” She smiles.

“Boyfriend…?” Kaede repeats quietly, seemingly confused. Kokichi shakes the hand grasping Kaede’s quite harshly and Kaede yelps, a loud vibrating sound filling the room. He lets go and smiles back, showing the palm of his hand off. A joy buzzer is attached. Meanwhile, Kaede is gripping the wrist of the affected hand.

“Gosh, you really thought I did that because I liked her? You’re so dumb! Dumber than Kaito who thinks his wordy textbooks are more entertaining than my books,” Kokichi says nonchalantly, much to Kaito’s offense.

Kaito places the book on a nearby desk. “You take that back! All you read about are stupid high schoolers in love anyway. What kind of man reads romance and slice-of-life?”

“You wear galaxy patterned socks, your opinion is invalid,” Kokichi checks his nails, popping his knuckles. 

A brief moment of silence; Kaito looks down at his feet and then back at Kokichi. “Shut the actual fuck up.”

Kokichi folds his hands behind his head and grins. “Make me, space freak.”

Kaito raises a fist and Kokichi flinches. Kaede interrupts, still gripping her wrist. “Don’t hit anyone!”

Kaito ignores her. “I’ll make you shut up, alright! Do  _ not _ diss my galaxy patterned socks!”

Kokichi waits for a moment before snorting and laughing. “You sound so serious! What’s the matter? All I’m saying is that your socks are ugly.”

Kaito’s hand trembles before he decides to put it down. “You’re insufferable.”

Kokichi shrugs. “I dunno, I think you’re kinda into it.”

“You think everyone’s into your shenanigans!”

“All the guys at least!”

The two continue to bicker, mostly about how their respective hobbies are superior to the other’s.

“The stories--” 

“Just say manga.”

Kokichi inhales. “ _ The stories _ are wayyy more interesting! And the plans made are super complex and stuff! And I don’t  _ just _ read slice-of-life. All those villains in those action  _ stories?  _ They’re really cool and make super intricate schemes! I’ve always considered flooding the entire school with grape soda..”

“That’s impossible!” Kaito barks, “I won’t let you! Besides, the heroes are  _ much _ cooler and they do better things. Wouldn’t you rather save the school from that sticky disaster?”

The topic has switched from a debate about literature to a debate about character tropes and general morality. Sure, their talk is quite heated, however they do seem to be making and comprehending each other’s points quite well. 

But even if they do agree with each other, they still manage to find a way to cause drama. It’s almost as if having the same motive is now a motion to argue about.

Shuuichi chooses to tune most of the interaction out, it’s not his business anyway. He finds Kaito and Kokichi’s relationship quite interesting--they could become great friends if they wanted to. Key phrase is ‘ _ if they wanted to _ ’.

Too many similarities and they start to clash. The only notable thing Shuuichi can see is that Kokichi is fixated on evil and being a villain while Kaito is the complete opposite.

By the time they’ve finished, Kaede has already moved on to a different activity which isn’t standing around and doing nothing. Kaito is now studying. Tsumugi has disappeared into her book and Kokichi is rummaging near her for supplies.

“Shumaaaaai! Come over here, I need you to lift me up,” Kokichi calls from within the closet. Not a day of peace in this club… Not that Shuuichi is complaining. He walks towards him. “Can’t you just use a stool like you did yesterday?”

“Oh wow, if only I had thought of that sooner. I’ll go grab one right now. But I lied, the stools here are too fragile and wobbly! Pick me up, I need to get the poster stuff,” Kokichi hops up a bit.

Shuuichi would ask about why he needs them again after taking them the day before, but he assumes that Kaede rearranged things again. He sighs, putting both hands on the sides of Kokichi’s chest. Kokichi flinches, just like with Kaito. Kokichi grips Shuuichi’s wrists and brings them lower.. Lower.. Lower still…

“E-Eh?!”   
  


“There!” Shuuichi’s hands are now on Kokichi’s hips. “Go on, pick me up.”

“I-I’m not sure if I’d be able to do it properly like this!” Shuuichi squeaks, yanking his hands away and instead waving them in front of his chest defensively. 

How is Kokichi perfectly ok with this?! He seems to be smiling just as aloofly as always.

“What? Ugh, I can go on your back instead?”

“How would that even work?!”

Kokichi huffs. “Fine, you can pick me up  _ normally _ . You’re really boring, you know that?” Kokichi elbows Shuuichi’s chest. He coughs. “Ow- I just think it would be hard for me to keep you stable that way..”

Hands back on his sides, he lifts Kokichi up to face one of the higher shelves. Kokichi takes the drawing supplies from yesterday and motions for Shuuichi to let him down. Kokichi puts all the items on a nearby desk and pushes a few together, only leaving two chairs at one end.

“Kaede’s gonna be a pain to work with, so I’m making the posters with you instead! You’re far more interesting than her anyway,” Kokichi takes a seat.

_ ‘Didn’t you just say I was boring?’ _

“I see..” Shuuichi sits down next to him and takes a sheet of paper. “Wouldn’t this be better suited for printing?”

“Nah, my handwriting can be neat enough when I want it to be so a printer isn’t needed. Plus, I wanna make every poster look different! Maybe there's a small easter egg in each illustration.” Kokichi takes a sheet and a pencil and starts sketching a large circle in the centre of the page. Stars, bubble writing, pill things[?], a pen and a page.

_ Dangan Literature Club! _

“Dangan.. As in ‘bullet’?” Shuuichi asks, more to himself than Kokichi. Now the pill objects make a bit more sense.

“Yeah! I dunno, it’s just a cool aesthetic thing. Shoot through people’s hearts with your meaningful words! Or not. You can write about whatever, even mustard. You don’t always have to look at the ‘deeper meaning’. Some things are better left at face value.”

Kokichi continues to doodle mindlessly, humming a soft tune. Shuuichi should probably be doing something of use now, but he’s always caught himself staring during times like these. It’s almost routine, and this time he feels like he has a good reason other than passing the time.

He takes a pen and starts lining the whole drawing, focused. He uses a different colour for each part he’s lining, mostly blues and purples.

“Why blue?”

“...” Kokichi is fixated on his work and doesn’t respond. Fair enough, he’s busy, so Shuuichi keeps on staring.

And staring.   
Staring until he eventually spaces out and starts looking at the wall behind Kokichi instead. 

His mind drifts back to the soda bottle he was given. It was quite a strange gift, but Kokichi went on and on about how meaningful it was. Is Kokichi going to leave the club? That’s the only conclusion he can really come to.

Kokichi does seem like he enjoys spending time here though, at least to Shuuichi. That’s made obvious by the way he talks to Kaede especially. They’re quite close. Not in love, but close. That’s the kind of friendship Shuuichi wishes he could have with her.

He wishes he could talk to her more often.   
Wait, she mentioned having LIME, right?

Shuuichi snaps out of his daze and decides to start drawing instead. He skips the sketch and starts straight with pen, glancing over at Kokichi’s paper every now and then. His looks a lot more angular, boxy, and definitely not as clean as the other’s. It looks good to him though.

Kokichi starts colouring with the same blues and purples from before. How else can Shuuichi describe it…

“Your logo looks cute.”

Kokichi turns his head. “Cute? Excuse me? It’s supposed to be cool! So it can attract other cool people to join. How insulting! You disgust me. My organisation will be at your house to hang you on Sunday. Disgraceful.”   
  
“Cool, right..” It’s all bark and no bite anyway. “I still think it’s cute though. Just as…” 

_ ‘Just as cute as you, say it.’ _

“Ju- Just…” Shuuichi can feel his face heating up. It’s no good. He flashes Kokichi a lopsided smile and pulls up some finger guns. “You’re cute.”

Kokichi hums again before patting Shuuichi’s head. “You’re cuter though.”

Shuuichi squeaks and tenses up, sinking lower into his seat. “Wh- What are you doing?! I’m not a dog!”

“Your cap is really ugly. I wanna touch your hair! It looks fluffy!” Next thing Shuuichi knows, his hat has been stolen. “M- My hat!”

“You’re not getting this thing back!” Kokichi places it on his own head instead and makes an ‘oof’ sound when it falls to cover his face. Shuuichi takes the opportunity to try and grab it, but Kokichi is a step ahead of him and ready to dodge. 

“H-Hey! Give it back!” Shuuichi gets out of his chair and tries to chase Kokichi around the clubroom. The immature thief seems to take no shame in stomping all over the tables to hide away. Meanwhile, Shuuichi is disoriented as Kokichi may or may not be running around in zigzags and circles.

He keeps on turning and turning to keep an eye on the other, but decides that might not be the right course of action. Circles and zigzags… Kokichi circles around him once and then starts moving between tables before circling again. It’s a simple pattern Shuuichi can get a grasp of once he relaxes.

But Kokichi’s so fast! How does he catch him? Luck? Shuuichi thinks through his options. He could kick a table at random and have Kokichi stumble, but that could hurt him. He might just have to grab randomly while he’s circling then.

Shuuichi dives towards Kokichi with no apparent plan. 

_ ‘One..’ _

He moves an arm to grasp Kokichi's tie.

_ ‘Two…’ _

Kokichi dodges and ends up bumping into a table.

_ ‘Three!’ _

Shuuichi grabs Kokichi’s wrists and attempts to pin him to said table. Kokichi’s breath hitches. Luck must be on his side or Kokichi is letting his guard down on purpose because Shuuichi manages to succeed. 

With all the ruckus that seems to have it’s strange how nobody is interrupting him. It seems that Kaede has moved on from her current activity to watching Kokichi make a fool of himself, while the other two are trying to ignore the chaos a metre away. Cruel.

Shuuichi notices the hat isn’t in Kokichi’s hands and lets go. “Ah- I’m sorry! Are you hurt? You’re ok, right?”

Kokichi sits up. “I’m good. Y’know, you looked really cool and not boring when you were doing all of that! You should keep your hat off more. I especially like this thing.” Kokichi flicks a piece of hair jutting out of Shuuichi’s head. Shuuichi jolts. “Don’t touch that!”

“Ohh, so it’s a second dick? How dirty! Maybe that’s why you always keep your hat on. Ew..” Kokichi wipes his hand on his blazer while Shuuichi bends down to pick his cap up from the floor. He puts it back on.

“Are you two done now?” Kaede asks, chuckling a little, “Try not to be too loud with your shenanigans. Just because we’re on the third floor doesn’t mean you can stomp and scream.”

Kokichi rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’ll be more careful.” he doesn’t seem to mean it.

Kaede sighs and chooses to think the effort counts more than the actual statement. Her slight disappointment is masked once she clasps her hand together and says her signature catchphrase, “Ok everyone!”

Kaito and Tsumugi look up from their books.

“It’s time to share poems now!” Kaede takes out her usual page of yellowed sheet music.

Kokichi hops off the desk and takes his poem from his bag. Kaito and Tsumugi do the same and Shuuichi takes his as well.

Who should he share his poem with first? Kokichi of course. He’s the closest after all.

  
  
  
  


“Ok uh…” Kokichi squints. “Where’s the bad writing? I can’t see it.”

Shuuichi decides he’ll take that as a compliment.

“Seriously! You produce banger poems every time! Can you just- Stop? I told you the same thing yesterday, wait...” 

Kokichi pauses.

“No socks, no opinion. Your poem is garbage.”

Shuuichi blinks. “B- But I’m wearing socks.”

“Shush! It’s trash now! I wanna take it and show it off to my organisation so they can all laugh at it!” Kokichi folds the poem back closed.

“Ah- I still have to share it with everyone else!” Shuuichi snatches it back and pockets it. “Do you like it or not?”

“I hate it!” Kokichi answers immediately. “Give it to me. I wanna show others how much of a clown you are.”

“The only clown in this room is you, Kokichi. I’ll give it to you after club,” Shuuichi sighs. He will continue to take Kokichi’s words as praise. Besides, it’s a bit more than obvious that Kokichi likes him. Platonically. But Kokichi could always just be trying to get his guard down or something like that.

“I’m insulted!” He crosses his arms. “You’re so rude, Shumai. I’ll show you what  _ real _ literature looks like.”

Kokichi hands Shuuichi his poem and Shuuichi begins to read.

  
  


“It’s good. I know it’s good because I’m always right! Neeheehee!” Kokichi giggles, hands behind his head. Shuuichi would most likely agree, but he knows he’s biased.

“So what’s the meaning behind all this?” he asks. Kokichi shrugs and smiles. “Answer the question and then I’ll tell you.”

Fair enough. Shuuichi gives the poem back. “Well, I don’t really know what I would consider as a ‘moral’ liar to begin with. I have no opinion, but I do feel like hypocrisy isn’t all that great itself.”

Kokichi nods. “So smart. Anyways, there is no meaning.”

_ ‘Huh?’ _

“Remember what I said earlier? Sometimes it’s better to just take things at face value. I really like that one line though! The wolf one, I think I did a great job with that,” Kokichi shakes his fists. He seems happy with himself.

So that’s all he gets. Anticlimactic. Shuuichi goes over to Kaito to read his poem next.

  
  
  
  
  


“Good! You dropped the.. Y’know. I like this one, but it’s too uh… Cutesy. That’s my own opinion though, I think the writing itself is nice uh… I just like everything you write! I can’t say anything more! You’ve got a knack for this sort of thing!” Kaito puts the poem on the desk next to Shuuichi. 

“Ah, that means a lot coming from you..” Shuuichi grips the brim of his hat. 

“Me? You know I’m pretty stupid when it comes to like.. Poetry and stuff. It’s not that big of a deal, really.”

“Well-” Shuuichi hesitates. Wrong thing, he said the wrong thing for sure. “I-I just mean generally! I- Nevermind, uhm..”

Kaito places a hand on Shuuichi’s shoulder and nudges him a bit. “Come on, it’s alright dude! No need to get all shaky and stuttery when I’m here. I won’t judge you.”

“... Can I read your poem now?”

“Oh! Right!” Kaito gives it to Shuuichi.

  
  


Kaito scratches the back of his neck. “Yeah, I had you in mind when writing this.”

Shuuichi re-reads the last few lines. “I can tell, Kaito.”

“No need to sound so dry! It’s just a gentle reminder!” He digs his nails in.

“Kaito, everyone else is going to read this.”

“It shows how deep our friendship is! We’re best buddies! Pals! You’re the sidekick to my hero!”

Shuuichi can’t convince him how embarrassing this is, but the poem has an odd sense of comfort to it. Before Kaito trailed off and started talking about him, of course.

“I still like it though. It has a nice charm to it, a ‘you’ kind of charm.”

“Hey! Now  _ you’re _ the one being all weird!”

_ ‘How is that weird…?’ _

“Seriously though, you should really go out with me sometime--even if it’s just a stroll around the neighbourhood. It’s nice! Y’know, breathing air.”

“Kaito, I can breathe air just fine in my bedroom.”

“You know what I meant!”

Shuuichi folds the poem back up and hands it to Kaito. “Grocery shopping over the weekend it is.”

“Grocery shopping?!” Kaito repeats.

“You don’t seem to mind where we go!”

“Sidekick, I was thinking something more like uh.. Manly stuff! Like exercise, you need more of it.” Kaito makes a slight punching motion with his hands. 

“I’m not exercising for fun. Can’t we do something else? Like clean? Oh- I bet your room has gone all messy again, hasn’t it?”

“ _ You find cleaning fun?! _ ” Kaito seems even more shocked now.

“It works out in your favour anyway!” Shuuichi raises his hands up. “Your house is a mess. I don’t know how you can stand it in there.”

“You can be so mean when you want to, sidekick.” Kaito nudges Shuuichi again.

Shuuichi doesn’t feel like he’s being mean. This is just being causal, right? He should probably not overthink about it though, especially since Kaito will catch on at record time.

He takes his poem off the desk. “We’ll talk about plans on the way home, alright?”

  
  
  
  
  


“Yeah, you’re definitely trying to appeal to someone.” Tsumugi bites her thumbnail, skimming over the sheet once more. “I knew it. My plain self is plainer than ever. I guess it’s understandable, really. The others have more interesting personalities, plus you already know Kaito and Kaede well enough.”

She puts the poem on Shuuichi’s head.

“Wh-” Shuuichi takes it. “I don’t-”

“I put too much effort into this plain poem to  _ not _ share it with everyone, so go ahead. Take it. You don’t have to say anything about it.”

“Hm… I like the rhythm.” Is that the right term? Shuuichi hands the poem back. “I get that sort of feeling a lot as well. Sacri-”

“That’s all you need to say. Go pay attention to someone less plain like Kaede or something.”

… Alright then.

  
  
  
  
  


“Another great poem! It’s way different from the last two, but you’re probably just experimenting,” Kaede taps the page. “The word choice is nice, the general theme is enjoyable and the formatting really ties the whole thing together. You’re doing good, Shuuichi.”

Kaede smiles sweetly, a gesture that never fails to make Shuuichi’s stomach knot. 

“By the way, if you need any help with Kokichi you can always ask me or Tsumugi. However, I feel like she’s a bit uh…”

Kaede glances over at her a few tables away.

“She isn’t very happy with you.”

Why must this always happen? That’s just Kaede’s fun quirk. Is Shuuichi really that transparent in his writing?

“But I sure am! Here’s my poem, it’s kind of similar to the one a few days ago. Sorry if it looks a bit messy.”

Shuuichi takes the sheet and reads.

  
  


That’s incredibly concerning! Shuuichi does not like how this makes him feel! Bits of the poem aren’t even on the page! The exclamation points are out of fear!

“Gosh, I really freaked you out, huh? I’m sorry! I assure you I feel much better though.” Kaede takes her poem back. “I wanted to play around with the formatting a bit. Nothing too drastic, just a bit of unevenness. Cutting the words off mid phrase can give this feeling that it just carries on and on and on.”

“R- Right…” Shuuichi mutters. “I’m glad you’re ok now..” That’s all that’s really important. 

“Anyway, here’s my tip! Sometimes changing up the way you space words, certain word choice or even your handwriting can drastically affect the way a person reads your poem. If you wanna make the reader feel all strange, edit the formatting! It’s a simple thing that can be really powerful when done right.”

Kaede’s tips seem to always relate to what she just wrote. Is she speaking from experience, using herself as an example or both?

“Anyways, that’s my writing tip of the day. Thanks for listening~!”

Kaede puts her poem back in her bag.

  
  


“Ok, everyone! Remember what I said yesterday about bringing in poems to read out? I hope you guys are ready!”

Kaede takes out another sheet. How much sheet music does Kaede have? Actually wait, that’s a dumb thought. She’s literally a pianist. A really good one at that.

“Please come sit at the front of the clubroom.”

The other members move towards the top, all with their poems in hand. 

“Kaede, are you sure this’ll be alright for an event like the festival?” Tsumugi asks nervously.

“Of course! I wouldn’t have told Kokichi to put it on the posters if otherwise.”

Kaito puts his poem down. “Posters?! Wait, are they already up?”

“Well, yes. Kokichi handed a few in earlier.”

A few? Didn’t Kokichi only make one poster? Oh wait, he could’ve just made them after school.

Speaking of, Kokichi is colouring another poster over at his own table. “Yeah yeah, I put the performance stuff on all the ones I made. Other people get to recite poems too! Honestly, I can’t wait to hear them read my poem out all melodramatically.” He snorts.

Shuuichi was supposed to write that?! Why didn’t Kokichi tell him? Well, maybe he did it for him. This is confusing… 

“You could have at least put them up  _ after _ you made sure we had all memorised them properly..” Tsumugi mumbles, twisting a lock of her hair.

“Kaede’s an impatient little demon. She wants to embarrass you all so she can show Shuuichi how to do things right and then proceed to brighten up the event like she always does.”

“I’ve never done that!” Kaede defends, “Besides, you’re just as impatient..”

Kaede stands behind the podium and places her poem on it. “I’ll be going first so everyone can feel a bit more comfortable.”

“The title of the poem is  _ Float _ .”

Kaede starts to recite her poem. Her voice is crystal clear, and her confidence is just as apparent. She knows exactly how to apply emotion behind each line and puts the right amount of emphasis in each word. Kaede must’ve practised quite a bit…

Shuuichi glances around. Everyone except Kokichi [who was still colouring] has their eyes on Kaede. Tsumugi has that same intense expression that Shuuichi doesn’t understand.

Kaede finishes the recitation, and the remaining club members all applaud.

“Stop being good at everything! You’re making me look stupid!” Kokichi says, standing up. “I’ll go next, but only out of spite.”

Kaede chuckles and steps over to her chair. “I was just trying to set a good example, that’s all.”

Paper in hand, Kokichi walks up to the podium. 

“This poem is called  _ 16 _ .”

Kokichi has always struck Shuuichi as an expressive person, however his reading is dull and almost monotonous. It fits well with the almost depressing theme of the poem, so Kokichi must have anticipated this beforehand. 

An odd feeling is attached, as if he were expressing his true thoughts to someone close to him. Not in some over-dramatic fashion like his day-to-day speech, but almost blank.

His face shows the same. It’s uncomfortable seeing Kokichi without all the dramatics and exaggeration, and the poem itself is written like a secret note that was snatched out of his hands and leaked to the world.

Suddenly, he’s finished. Everyone is stunned, mostly by the contents of the writing and how depressed Kokichi appeared while speaking.

Shuuichi is the first to start applauding. Everyone else joins him afterward.

“Man, you guys are lame! No special response to my poem?”

“It’s just weird hearing you say all that instead of reading it..” Tsumugi replies.

It’s not that they didn’t want to applaud for him, but the mood had shifted so suddenly that they had to adjust. That’s what Shuuichi thinks at least.

“You guys are so boring!” Kokichi walks back to his seat.

Kaito speaks up. “Alright! I’ll go next, y’know, to lighten up the mood.” He stands up and walks to the podium.

“My poem is called  _ Galaxy _ !”

Kaito begins his poem. The tone is a bit awkward, but he has the spirit. The poem is just as cheery and lax as Kaito is, but Shuuichi can’t help but imagine how he’d sound reading a poem more serene.

If Shuuichi were to read this on paper, he would’ve skimmed through it like it was nothing. But hearing it makes it feel more personal, as if the message was aimed directly at  _ him _ .

Kaito finishes, and everyone applauds. He heads back to his seat.

“How did I do?” He’s looking directly at Shuuichi, so Shuuichi assumes he has to reply.

“You did well.”

The room falls silent. The only ones left are the two bluenettes sitting right next to each other.

Shuuichi waits for Tsumugi and she waits for him.

“Uhm..” Shuuichi swallows. “Tsumugi?”

“You go first.”

No arguing there. He mutters a small ‘alright’ before going up next. Everyone’s staring at him like they did on the first day and it makes Shuuichi feel terribly awkward.

“Th- This poem is titled  _ Sleepy Sweet _ .”

His voice shakes as he starts reading the poem. With everyone’s eyes on him, he finds it difficult to concentrate and silently hopes that he can disappear into his own writing.

A few lines past and Shuuichi’s gotten the hang of most of it. His voice is soft and gentle and the quivering has slightly decreased. Nonetheless, he’s still quite anxious while reading his poem out.

Despite all his, he gets applauded anyway once he finishes.

“It came out nicely, Shuuichi.” Kaede is the first to speak. “You portrayed the atmosphere really nicely, but other poems might not fit that type of gentle delivery.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve seen poems of yours that’ll require a bit more force behind them depending on what you’re reading. Of course, you don’t have to change right now--you can still keep this style for the festival--but other things you write will need different ways of reading.”

Shuuichi pauses. “... I understand.”

He steps away from the podium and sits back in his seat. At least everyone has stopped staring at him now. He does feel bad for Tsumugi though--her head is down while everyone is glaring daggers at her.

“S-So it’s my turn now.. It’s really bad, but that stuff is pretty typical of someone as plain as I.” 

Tsumugi grips her page and rushes up to the podium, keeping her gaze down below at the floor.

“The poem is titled …  _ String Theory _ .”

Tsumugi begins. Unlike all her previous poems, this one is sappy and romantic. As she reads on, she starts mumbling less and she gets the same intense expression she does when indulging in her book.

The story is full of twists and turns--most of them cliché and predictable--but Tsumugi’s expressiveness more than makes up for most of it. 

She finishes, and Kokichi of all people is the first to start applauding.

“Tsukitsuki! You did so well!! Keep it up, why don’t ya?”

Genuine.. Praise? Shuuichi can’t help but admit he’s envious.

Tsumugi nods, choosing to hide her face behind her poem. “I’m sorry…” It’s like she’s apologising to the poem for reading it out awfully. She quickly walks back to her seat.

Kaede clasps her hands together. “Great job, everyone! I can’t wait to see you all performing on Monday~”

“That was awful…” Tsumugi mutters. “I still can’t believe you liked it!” She moves the page away from her face and turns to Kokichi, who was sitting on his desk and swinging his legs. The poster was finished a long time ago.

“I lied though! I can’t believe you fell for something as simple as that.”

Tsumugi huffs. Kaede continues to talk, mostly about the festival and what’ll be arranged during that time.

“Of course, you can still bring out the poem you read today, but if you want anything changed then let me know what you want me to put in the pamphlet!”

Shuuichi will most likely change. His writing isn’t all the best anyway.

“Ok, everyone! That should be all for today. If you have any special requests for our events, let me know. Oh, and Shuuichi..”

Kaede gives him a slip of paper.

“That’s my LIME ID. I forgot to add you yesterday--I was busy--so just type that in and I’ll add you to the group chat!”

Group chat.. Oh god… Shuuichi nods. “I understand.”

“Great!”

Shuuichi stands up. There’s no way he’ll be able to build up the same enthusiasm as Kaede, but he’ll do his best to get through it.

If it’s for the sake of everyone else, he can try.

Shuuichi pockets the paper. “Ready to go, Kaito?”

“Yeah! Just wait a second, I have to zip this up.” Kaito is struggling with the zipper on his bag.

“Look at you two, always going home together like that. It’s kind of adorable, isn’t it?” Kokichi teases.

Kaito shoots him a glare before sighing. “Whatever, let’s go already.”

  
  
  
  
  


Shuuichi walks home with Kaito once more. Even though it’s only been a few days, they’ve hung out way more than they had over the past few months.

Just as promised, they’re discussing weekend plans before the festival. Kaito insists on ‘healthy’ activities while Shuuichi tries to insist that his casual ones are better.

“You can’t go wrong with a movie and some snacks!”

“Shuuichi, you can’t just laze around every time you get a break. It’s not good to just sit around all the time.”

Shuuichi huffs. “You’re just gonna stare at me doing pushups anyway.”

“Shush!”

And so the two continue to chatter as they walk home. 

-

-

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again with my nonsense. As we inch closer and closer to the festival, more plans are being made as the story moves along.  
> Closer to the festival = closer to me copy-pasting half of this into a new fic where people die wwww  
> Oh yeah, and there will be chapters for weekends.  
> Please pick 5 words for the poem game  
> -  
> Your [new Tumblr sexyman](https://booperbeanv3.tumblr.com/post/633747792548036608/your-eyes-look-like-a-racoons-do-you-sleep-or) aka DDLC Kokichi  
> -  
> Check out my tumblr, it's kinda rad btw.


	5. Brightest Star Admist A Meteor Shower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I got you some Lucky Stars.” Kokichi waves the bag in front of him, and Shuuichi’s baffled.  
> “Wh- What-”
> 
> “Isn’t it clear? I’m always thinking about you, so this is a declaration of my love, silly!” Kokichi giggles. Kaito shoots him a disapproving look. “Anyways, just take it. But be careful! It could be laced with cyanide!”
> 
> Shuuichi sighs and takes the bag. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi won the game again ! sorry for not updating this week and updating late . i kept on passing out while writing this stupid chapter  
> writer's block rlly said "hola"  
> we're getting to the cool stuff . the weekend act !! yes, this means this is the end of act 1 as i'll refer to the weekend act as act 1.5  
> i've been studying satchely's art style [they're the one that drew the character art for ddlc]  
> so expect more dangan dokis to arrive soon
> 
> someone chose a word i decided to give to Kaede so something cool happens this chapter
> 
> content warnings: panic attacks , possible dereality in kaede's poem and in the panic attack scene
> 
> enjoy !!

Perhaps it’s because of the meetup they arranged the day before, but Shuuichi finds himself following Kaito to the next club meeting. They aren’t discussing plans, however. Kaito has been worried about Shuuichi’s health for the past few days and Shuuichi doesn’t understand why.

He has always been like this. Staying at home and passing the time there is most enjoyable after all. Writing, chores, reading, the likes are much easier to do indoors anyway. So what if his health degrades a little?

“You’re always hiding away under something, and I don’t think that’s good for you, y’know? Your room, your hat, even me at times.”

Shuuichi sighs, gripping the brim of said hat. Well, he’s actually trying to distance himself from Kaito a little. Develop on his own instead of becoming dependent, but he probably isn’t trying hard enough. “You don’t have to worry about me… I’ve got everything under control. As long as I’m not failing classes then it’s all alright.”

“Classes- Is that all you seriously care about?” he asks. Shuuichi gives a weak nod in response. Kaito pushes the door to the clubroom open, looking away from Shuuichi. “All I’m saying is that you should go out more! It’s a good start. Nothing wrong with a nice walk every now and- What the hell.”

Kaito stops in his tracks, holding the door open. Shuuichi peers over his shoulder to see what caught his interest, only to see Kaede holding Kokichi up by the armpits. Tsumugi is a metre away, taking pictures.

Kokichi is wearing a pair of cat earmuffs, hissing at Kaito and kicking his legs around. Kaede snorts.

“Don’t make me laugh! We need a steady picture!” she says, moving the smaller around a little. Kokichi dives the back of his foot straight into Kaede’s knee to retaliate.

“A-” 

And she falls over, bumping into the podium behind her. Kokichi laughs before getting off of the club president and yanking her arm up.

“... _aaaAaaaa._ ”

“Kokichi! Be nice!” Kaito glares at the other.

Tsumugi gasps. “Catboys are so mean! You injured her!” she says as she continues to take pictures. “At least I’ve got nice blackmail.”

Kaede steps up on wobbly knees. “Worth it..!” She raises a shaky thumbs up. Kokichi scoffs, readjusting the ear muffs a bit while muttering under his breath.

“They’re nice, aren’t they? Consider it as an early birthday present!” Tsumugi beams, jumping up and down.

He stares, keeping a hand on one of the muffs. “ … It’s November.”

“Then it’s Christmas! Or late Halloween!”

Kokichi grins wide, hands behind his back. “Come on, there’s nothing wrong with admitting you just wanted to gimme something outta nowhere!

Meanwhile, Kaito is still frozen near the doorway. 

“Join in, you two! Tsumugi brought a few extra pairs,” Kaede smiles with her signature sweetness. “Ah- We can have a group photo to hang up for the festival!”

“With us wearing cat ears?!” Kaito yelps, making some odd facial expression that Kokichi finds amusing enough to laugh at. 

“Bahahahah! Your face! Let’s do it, Bakamatsu!”

“Do _not_ call me that!” Kaede says cheerily, skipping to Tsumugi’s bag and taking the earmuffs out. One pair is a dark blue, while the other seems to have some galaxy theme. All the earmuffs are equally as fluffy and soft. She gives the blue pair to Tsumugi and the space pair to Kaito before taking a white pair out and putting that on herself.

He was about to comment, but he closes his mouth once Kaede announces that, “Oh, don’t think Tsumugi forgot about you, Shuuichi.” She retrieves two cat ears, both teal in colour and goes to Shuuichi to pin them on the sides of his hat.

“Huh-”

“I know you may not be comfortable with taking your hat off, so this’ll do!” And she smiles again, and it makes his gut twist with delight again. Kaede pats his head and Shuuichi falls silent, red as a tomato. This feels off… He might just not be used to having so many friends. Friends that make him feel accepted, like he’s needed.

“Shuuumaaaai!! Don’t ignore me!” Kokichi bites his shoulder from behind him. Shuuichi whines-- Wait, whines?!-

Kaito tears him off, saying, “Don’t fucking _bite_ him!!” and Kokichi pouts as if he did nothing wrong. “God, you’re so protective over your emo!”

Shuuichi’s hands move to cover his face. 

“You fucking _bit him!_ It’s common sense.” Kaito crosses his arms. Tsumugi giggles, nudging Kokichi.

“Do I say it?”

“What, that you think Shuuichi’s a masochist?”

Kaito chokes. Tsumugi jabs Kokichi’s arm.

“What? I’m not lying! We all know it at this point!”

“Kaito definitely doesn’t.”

“Guys…” Shuuichi mumbles into his palms. “I can’t hear you! Say it directly to me!” Kokichi rapidly pokes Shuuichi’s arm. “Hey hey, what’s wrong?”

Tsumugi moves a muff off of Kokichi’s ear. He hisses at her and stops harassing Shuuichi. “Don’t touch me!” He moves it back in place and sticks his tongue out at her. “Come on, we still need to take the pictures,” Tsumugi states as she holds her phone up.

Kaede tugs at the string of her bow. “Ah, sorry! I forgot! Let’s go.” She hurries to the top of the classroom. “Fine fine.” Kokichi walks behind her, the others following along shortly after. Tsumugi, Kaede and Kaito step up in that order with Kaede behind the podium. Kokichi and Shuuichi go in front.

“Uhm-” Tsumugi pockets her device and sighs. “Kokichi, you take it.”

“Okie dokie then~!” Kokichi chirps as he fishes his phone out of his pocket and snaps a picture. A shutter sound plays and Kokichi lowers the device to see the image. Everyone is holding up peace signs.

“Sheesh, no wonder we put Kaito in the back,” Kokichi grimaces, “Your hair adds an extra 30 centimetres to your height! You’re already too large and you’d look much better with it down anyway.”

Kaito raises a hand to cover his hair defensively. “Oi! It doesn’t make me ‘too large’, it makes me cool! Right, Shuuichi?”

“Ah- Right!” Shuuichi nods almost instantly. Kokichi can tell it has been rehearsed before. “So boring! You two constantly latch onto each other like some newly-wed couple. It’s gross to see!”

“As if your _constant_ flirting and innuendoes are any better. You’re making everyone uncomfortable!” Kaito barks back, clenching his fist. Kokichi gives him a dry laugh. “Aw, you think I’m gonna steal your boyfriend? That’s cute! Hey, how about we all date each other? It’s a match made in heaven!”

“More like a match made in hell!”

“Oh come on, don’t you think our rival dynamic is enough to fuel a beautiful romance? And Shuuichi can just ‘be there’, I guess.” Kokichi rolls his eyes.

“Shuuichi isn’t just some extra! He’s my sidekick, and that’s more useful than you’ll ever be!” Kaito raises his voice, pulling Shuuichi closer to him. Shuuichi yelps. “Ah- Don’t-”

“Nuh uh, he’s my subordinate! He even took that Panta bottle I gave him to seal off our deal. Neehee.. We’re going to take over the world together and destroy you!” Kokichi doesn’t seem like he’s arguing and more like he’s trying to rile Kaito up. He must be enjoying this.

Tsumugi butts in. “Doesn’t it sound so despairing? Getting taken down by your own sidekick?” she sighs dreamily, “I’m with Kokichi on this one!” she clasps her hands together. Is she… Drooling…????

Shuuichi groans. “Why do you two always have to argue every day…?” he mumbles.

“ **They’re such children, aren’t they?** ” Kaede pops up behind him, almost as if she teleported. Shuuichi yelps once more, sharply turning his head to face her. “You-- I mean, you’re right but-”

“You’re always so stutter-y and stall-y all the time! It’s kind of cute.”

Shuuichi feels offended but doesn’t know if he should. Kaede’s smile seems to be drowning out all the noise around him, as if she’s the brightest star amidst a meteor shower. One you can’t help but glance at as you wait for the storm to end.

A whirr, a screech of metal, an uncomfortable sound that scratches the innards of Shuuichi’s brain. Like playing vinyl on a pizza crust. Like scraping the front of one’s teeth with a metal rod. Kaede’s almost glowing, so ethereal and pure. The noise grows louder and Shuuichi almost thinks he’s suffocating under Kaito’s arm, the tightness of his tie, the air in the room.

“ **It’s alright, Shuuichi. They’ll get over it later.** ” Her voice is muddy, muffled from the ringing and static that clouds Shuuichi’s thoughts. All that bounces back is echo, echo, echo inside his head. What’s happening? This doesn’t feel… Right… Are the others seeing this? Tsumugi is simply a bystander as Kaito and Kokichi’s fight gets more heated and violent. What’s happening?

This 

doesn’t 

feel 

righ

t.

.

.

.

Shuuichi blinks. Kaede doesn’t seem as glittery anymore and Tsumugi is back at her usual spot near the wall. Kokichi has disappeared into the closet and Kaito is reading at a table in the front row of seats.

Kaede… Kaede’s sitting at the teacher’s desk as if nothing happened. As if nothing was wrong.

Shuuichi notices a sense of uneasiness pooling in his gut as he takes a step closer and closer to the pianist.

“Kuh-” 

Kaede looks up at him. “Hm? What do you need?”

Shuuichi’s voice gets caught in his throat. His breath seems to have done the same. He can’t stop thinking back at what had happened. Was Kaito right to doubt him all along? Is he going mad? His throat throbs. He needs to breathe but he can’t. Shuuichi latches onto the desk for security but he ends up trembling and tearing up instead.

“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I don’t-” Shuuichi can barely speak as tears flood down his face like a waterfall. When he finally manages to try and breathe, it’s all shallow and awful. He’s shaking and trembling and everything is tight and painful in his chest.

Hands on his shoulders, Kaede shakes him gently. “Hey hey, it’s ok, do you need a moment? I’ll get you some water, come with me.” Kaede grabs Shuuichi’s arm and leads him out of the classroom, the other stumbling behind.

  
  


Kaito can only stare as Shuuichi is escorted out. He knew it, something was going to happen eventually and it’s all because of him. He fidgets with the cat ears in his hands before slipping them into his bag.

Kokichi slides his box of manga off the shelf and places it down on a nearby table. He took them off as well.

“Do you… Think he’s alright?” Kokichi asks Kaito from across the room.

“Does it look like I know? We should probably let Kaede handle this anyway.”

“Well- You know him more than I do for sure! Does he have some condition or..?”

_‘Condition? Shuuichi isn’t ill! Not everyone’s going to be like you, y’know?’_

“I just told you _I don’t know_. And I don’t know how to handle this stuff either. He could just be having a bad day,” Kaito says again, flipping to the next page of his textbook.

Kokichi rolls his eyes. “Alright, whatever. I was lying about being worried about him. He can go jump off a cliff for all I care!”

Kaito’s eyes widen. He looks back at Kokichi. “Do **_not_ **-”

“I’m lying again! You’re a real idiot, y’know that?” Kokichi takes his wallet out of his bag. “I’m gonna go get something. You’re not worth my time.”

“Get something that isn’t a granola bar or soda for once.”

“Since when did you care? Now I’ll make sure to get a granola bar and some soda! Neeheehee!”

Kaito groans. “Whatever you say, Kokichi.”

  
  
  


“I got you some Lucky Stars.” Kokichi waves the bag in front of him, and Shuuichi’s baffled.

“Wh- What-”

“Isn’t it clear? I’m always thinking about you, so this is a declaration of my love, silly!” Kokichi giggles. Kaito shoots him a disapproving look. “Anyways, just take it. But be careful! It could be laced with cyanide!”

Shuuichi sighs and takes the bag. “Thank you.”

“What-”

“Thank you? You didn’t have to get this for me, you know.” It’s not even like that time where he found his classmate’s pet alligator. He didn’t do anything to deserve this, in fact, he was the nuisance that needed consolation.

Kokichi stays silent for a moment. “... Y’know, eating and reading makes a nice combo. So read with me! And that’s an order from your leader!”

“I don’t think I remember agreeing to join-”

“Shush! My orders.” Kokichi walks to the table with his manga on it and slides the first volume out. Shuuichi doesn’t protest and follows. It’s pretty much routine for him to hang out with Kokichi anyway, so he doesn’t exactly mind being dragged into his schemes.

Shuuichi takes a glance at the glossy cover of the manga.

_Love Me, Dearest World!_

A young looking girl has her arms up high with a school building behind her.

“I didn’t expect you to read this kind of stuff.”

“That’s just the cover! It gets super cool and full of action later! Haruhi isn’t just some boring, love-struck protagonist, y’know?”

Kokichi moves to the wall and sits down, back leaning against it. Book in hand, he ushers Shuuichi to sit next to him. “What are you waiting for? Come!”

Shuuichi does so, opening the bag of chocolate stars and popping one into his mouth. 

“And remember, don’t get any smudges on the pages! I’ll execute you if you do. Neehee-”

“Ok, everyone!”

“...Hee?”

“It’s time to share poems! I hope you’ve got one done, considering the festival is coming up and all. Ahah..” Kaede retrieves her usual sheet of yellowed paper. Kokichi doesn’t hide his disappointment, groaning loudly and standing up.

“I didn’t even get to do anything with Shuuichi!”

“I’m sorry, he wasn’t feeling well. You two can always hang out later, can’t you?”

“You know I can’t just plan shit all of a sudden like that! I have an organisation to tend to!”

Kaede is already sharing her poem with Kaito. Tsumugi has hers out as well.

Kokichi huffs and puts the manga back, taking his poem out of his bag. “Hope you enjoy your chocolate at least. And by enjoy, I mean don’t enjoy. Because it’s covered in poison. And you’ll die an awful death.”

Shuuichi laughs, gripping the brim of his hat only to realise that he was the only person in the room with the cat ears still on. Must've looked ridiculous with him hunched over the school fountain, sobbing his eyes out with fuzzy cat ears on.

Huh.

Shuuichi removes the pin-on ears and taps Tsumugi’s shoulder. “Hey, I think you should take these back-”

“No no, keep them! They’re a gift after all! Oh, here’s the ear muffs if you want to attach them to that too.” Tsumugi rummages through her book bag and gives Shuuichi the item. “Ah, how about we exchange poems now?”

“But Kokichi-”

“Ah, right, Kokichi. I see how it is, go talk to him then.”

“What- Tsumugi!”

“It’s fine! He’s more interesting anyway.”

Shuuichi mumbles a small ‘alright then’ and returns to the other boy.

  
  
  


“If you’re gonna write this well, you might as well kiss me on the lips at this point.”

Shuuichi coughs. “What?!”

“I lied! Anyways, I literally can’t say anything about this! Marry! Me!”

Shuuichi takes his poem back. “Are you sure you’re not just lying again?”

“ _Uughhh.._ If I keep on saying it’s bad or it’s awful, it gets too repetitive and boring. So take the fucking praise, aight?”

“... I see that you’re enthusiastic about all this.”  
  
“... Aw, didn’t realise you’d be using my own tricks against me. But you don’t fool me!”

“What? I’m glad that you’re happy!”

Kokichi grips his own poem tightly. “I’m always happy reading your poems, dumbass!”

Shuuichi smirks. “Oh?” Kokichi’s face falls blank. Aha! One point for Shuuichi!

“Don’t I always say I like your stuff though?”  
  
Or not.

“But you’ve never said it straight up.”

Or maybe?  
  
“Man, am I rubbing off on you too much? Your brain is slowly rotting! What a pity! But like, I can’t just _say_ that your stuff is good. That’s putting too- That’s- I just wanna mix up your expectations! You should know that I do this all for attention since you’re constantly looking my way.”

Kokichi seems oddly irritated, although that’s to be expected when his hangout with Shuuichi was cut short. He seemed to have been genuinely interested in reading that manga too. Ah well, they always have the week after the festival. 

As for what Kokichi is saying? Shuuichi can only think that Kokichi doesn’t want to be vulnerable in front of him, and the only reason why he’s acting like this now is because the sudden interruption ruined his chance of showing something he adores. He has praised manga highly before after all.

But… But why? Is that kind of stuff really that important to him? Well, he guesses the little things matter a lot more to Kokichi. Even a simple ‘thank you’ can get him all confused.

“Don’t ignore me! Just read the poem already and quit staring!”

“Ah, sorry! Well- Oh, you’re holding the poem pretty tightly, it’s going to tear.” Shuuichi reaches a hand out. Kokichi smacks it away with the page.

“Just take it.” His tone is harsh and bitter. Shuuichi begins to read.

  
  


Ah, this is different.

Kokichi tugs at the bottom of his blazer. “Stop.”

“Stop what? Well, it was surprising to read but-”

“Just stop. I don’t like it anymore. I don’t want you to talk about it, I don’t want anyone to see it. In fact, you can keep it. And that’s not a lie,” his voice quivers. His gaze is stuck eyeing at the floor, darting around as he tries to hold his tears back.

It’s hard for Shuuichi to comment when Kokichi doesn’t want any words about the poem. Kokichi is still tugging, biting at his lower lip.

“It’s a lot easier to share your thoughts when it’s all just spite. That way, you don’t care about what other people say. Unless they’re invalidating your anger, of course,” Kokichi mutters, almost too quietly for Shuuichi to hear. “These are my friends. I like the literature club, I like everyone here. But I can’t just be transparent when Kaede...” He trails off.

  
Shuuichi folds the poem up. “Kokichi, you can always talk to me about these things--”

“But that’s the issue! You’re too nice for your own good and it makes me feel sick! I just couldn’t write about anything else.”

_‘Lovesick?’_

_‘Shut up, he doesn’t like you.’_

Shuuichi senses that Kokichi wants to stop talking and hands the poem back, but as he does so, Kokichi takes his wrists and shoves them away.

“I told you I don’t want it.”

“B- But you didn’t? It’s a lovely poem! It’s cute-”

“Why does it have to be cute, Shuuichi? What’s the point in sharing all of this if people are either gonna get concerned or toss my feelings away? Either I’m making everyone uncomfortable and nobody wants me or they think my honesty is just some funny joke! Pure and endearing! Or another lie! And it’s _frustrating!_ ” Kokichi grips Shuuichi’s wrists tightly, digging his nails into him. Shuuichi winces. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean-”

“Just shut up! I don’t wanna hear it!” Kokichi shouts, a few tears falling down his face. Shuuichi feels a pit drop in his stomach. Kokichi is upset and it’s all _his fault._ It’s more than uncomfortable, but he can’t imagine how bad Kokichi must feel, so he should probably just get over it.

“... Can you let go of me, at least?”

Kokichi does so wordlessly, arms going limp at his sides.

“Put it away before anyone else sees it. You- You do want it, right?”

Shuuichi nods.

“Don’t just nod! I wanna hear you say it!”

Shuuichi’s hand rises up to cover his mouth. It’s habit at this point, he always does this when he’s thinking. Kokichi is getting more and more anxious by the second, as if hours were going by.

“I like your poems a lot, Kokichi. I want to know more about you, and I’d like to read over this poem a few more times at home.”

Kokichi chuckles. “You sound like you’re talking about homework, Shumai. You don’t have to analyse every bit of it. What are you, a detective?” 

Shuuichi feels a bit at ease knowing that Kokichi’s jeers are back again. Shuuichi can see him faintly smiling, and it makes his heart skip a beat. He wants to see more of him like this, honest without the anger and stress of his own mindset.

He smiles back. “My uncle is.” Kokichi raises a brow but doesn’t speak. “Maybe he has influenced me a bit.”

“Come on, I don’t wanna hear about that old fart! Adults are super boring!” Kokichi huffs, crossing his arms. “Anyways, take care of the poem. Laminate it, shake it around and make it go all fwub-fwub-fwub! It’s from a super important leader after all, so you better not throw it away!!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll do that.”

With that, Shuuichi returns to his seat to put the poem away. Kaito has just finished with Tsumugi, so he can go share with him?

  
  
  


“Gah, you’re just too good at this, y’know?” Kaito grins, starting to give the poem back before halting. “... You don’t mind if I keep this, right?”

“Keep it?!” Shuuichi repeats in disbelief. “Wh- What’s so good about it anyway?”

“It reminds me a lot of the stuff Kokichi would say when he’s excited, but with your own little spin! Kinda? Not that it’s a bad thing, he has good taste.

“I see? Wait- You’re just saying what you’re always saying-”

“It’s hard to describe other than ‘genuine’. I’m glad you’re enjoying this! Everyone here is so great, aren’t they? Kokichi might be stupidly annoying, but he has his own charm too!”

Shuuichi perks his head up. “R-Right! Uhm- That’s great and all, but you always seem to like my poems a _little_ too much. Ahah, I guess that’s just how good friends are…” Shuuichi laughs. Kaito laughs along with him, but it’s a lot more strained.

“Right, friends, hahah..” Kaito’s grin fades a bit, looking much more somber.

Shuuichi chuckles. “Don’t give me that look! You can keep it, it’s fine. But I still have to share it with Kaede so… What about your poem?”

  
“Oh! It’s not that great, really.” Kaito scratches the back of his neck. “It’s mostly the same stuff I’ve written before. I dunno, things have just been off recently.”

“Aw, don’t say that.. Your writing’s lovely! It’s nice seeing the inside-out of someone I thought I knew through and through.”

“I hope the message gets across.” Kaito hands his usual sheet of patterned paper over to Shuuichi.

  
  


“Before you say anything, I’m still worried about everyone!” Kaito waves his hands in front of his chest defensively. “Everything! Like something really bad is going to happen. Really really _really_ bad! And it’s super freaky, y’know?”

Shuuichi reads the second paragraph over again. “You had the other members in mind while writing this, didn’t you?”

“Yeah! Because they worry me just as much as you! You know which paragraph is for who, right?”

Well, there’s only three specific verses and four members he could write for. Kokichi is just Kokichi, so maybe he left him out? The more he reads into it, the more things get confusing. Tsumugi hasn’t even shared half her poems to him, what’s going on with her? Did he do something wrong and Kaito picked up on it?

“Ah- Sidekick, there’s no need to get all intense about it! Just know that uh… I care. I still do, and I’ll remind you of that every day if I have to.”

Shuuichi gives the poem back. “You don’t have to do that! And you call me the worry-wat. I’ll be fine. We can talk about all of that stuff later. By the way, have you chosen a movie to watch yet? I’ll probably drop by the corner store to get snacks.”

“Huh? Oh, I haven’t. All I own are space documentaries anyway, they’re too long.” Kaito pockets the sheet. “I’ll just grab something to rent.”

“Sounds good! I’ll text you more about it.”

“Dude, we walk home together, can’t we do it then? Unless you’re planning on going off with Kokichi or something.”

“No no, I guess it’s just easier to dump a lot of stuff over text? You can’t tune anything out and you can read over as much as you want.”

“Oh! Right. Hahah, sorry.”

Shuuichi smiles. “We’ll talk about it more later, ok?” Kaito gives him a thumbs up as he goes over to Kaede to share with her next.

  
  
  


“How are you feeling, Shuuichi? You never actually told me what was bothering you. Is everything ok?” Something about the way she’s looking at him sparks suspicion. Shuuichi knows it’s ridiculous though, Kaede could just be unaware, or perhaps it was a mere figment of his imagination.

“Better, yes.” Shuuichi bows. “Sorry for causing trouble, I guess I was just really worked up today.”

“There’s no need! These things happen, you might get super overwhelmed at times but you’ve handled all of that well before, right? So it’s fine if these things happen as long as you handle it smartly!” Kaede clasps her hands together. “You’ve been hanging out with Kokichi a lot, I’m sure he can tell you a lot about emotions and stuff. He can’t exactly handle his own very well, that’s why he acts like this, but it’s nice knowing you’re not alone.”

So Kokichi feels like he’s glitching out of life itself at times too? It sounds hard to believe, but Kaede hasn’t lied to him before. In fact, she’s the perceptive one giving him details on everyone and everything. He admires her responsibility.

“Have you picked out a poem for the festival?”

“Oh, I’ll probably just use the poem I read out.”

“I thought you were swapping? Ah well, that’s great! No pressure, of course, but it just shows that your confidence in your writing is growing.”

Shuuichi furrows his brows. “How did you…” Know that… He said that in his head, didn’t he? Well, Kokichi likes his poems and he’s hard to please, so he’ll take that as motivation to read his own writing.

“Ah, I’ll give you my poe- Kaede?” 

The sheet is already in her hands. He probably lost grip and she just picked it off the floor or something…

“Sticking with Kokichi’s style, hm? You must really like him.”

“Eh? That’s--”

Kaede hums. “It’s awfully suspicious. You let him drag you around like a doll! With the constant teasing and lies and immaturity.. I wonder how you can do it…”

“You know how Kokichi is! If I don’t entertain him, he’ll end up thinking I’m ‘boring’..” Shuuichi’s shoulders droop down.

“Hm… I think you’re misunderstanding a little. Kokichi likes stimulation and excitement. It’s the only way he gets stuff done, but you’re more than enough for him. He talks about you a lot after club. You’ve lit something up inside him, for sure. Even Tsumugi hasn’t been able to get him like that.”

“Is that so?” Shuuichi nervously laughs. Ah, he’s been quite giddy now, hasn’t he? Is it anxiety or is he just having a good time?

“Even so, you can’t rely on your own charms to get him to open up. You still have to be quite careful, as he’s really unpredictable and a lot of the time, he doesn’t know what he even wants. He doesn’t really know how to handle his feelings properly after all.”

Kaede brings her hands down. “I guess it might have been unfair on him to interrupt his reading with you. He doesn’t like sudden changes, it can overwhelm him a lot. Sometimes it sparks the panic that you had, but he just gets really irritated. As much as a lot of his responses are to cause reactions and start drama, his frustration is real and can be really damaging to the rest of the club if something bad happens.”

Kaede looks up at Shuuichi with an almost pleading expression. “You wouldn’t want that to happen, right? So take care of him.”

“That’s…” Shuuichi trails off. That’s a bit unfair, isn’t it? Bringing up the club like that.

“Well, you’re smart. I’m sure you’ll do the right thing.”

Kaede smiles with her signature sweetness.

“Anyway, I’ll share my poem with you now, alright?”

“Erm.. Alright.”

  
  


“I guess it’s not very poem-y. It’s sort of like Kaito’s dream poem, isn’t it? But instead of you jumping off a cliff, it’s just empty and uncomfortable.”

Kaede presses her finger into the side of her chin. “Perhaps it was one big metaphor? I don’t exactly know, the whole experience startled me so much I can’t even think of an explanation. It’s bizarre, she’s bizarre, and I wonder if she’ll come to visit again.”

“Ah… It seems that everyone in the club prefers writing about strange, sad and bitter things rather than happy.”

“Ahah.. Are you surprised? If everything was all ok, we’d have nothing to write about. Literature is like a door to a new world inside of someone, and what’s behind that door is usually insecurity and doubt. Not everyone can write about the sunset and get something meaningful out of it. Most authors thrive off of empathy, and it works.”

“I guess that’s fair. It’s not like it’s a bad thing though, having this sort of personal relation with a small group feels refreshing. Like you aren’t burdening only one person, or too many, so it’s nice being in this tight-knit bond.”

Kaede gives him a look he can’t exactly decipher.

“E- Even if it’s only been a few days, of course! I-I totally amn’t just getting attached s-super quickly or anything!”

Kaede chuckles. “It’s fine. We’re all in it together, alright?”

“Anyway, here’s my Writing Tip of the Day!”

Kaede must be really passionate about this sort of thing… No duh, this is a literature club. But the way she speaks when she talks about writing is so clear, so collected. It’s pleasing to the ear and easy to understand. Kaede should probably record some audio books…

“--But if you find other people who enjoy writing, especially _your_ writing, then sharing becomes a lot easier! Because instead of just--”

Ah, shoot! Was he tuning her out? Kaede’s advice is normally really helpful so he should probably listen.

“--want to focus more on everything that went into it, and the things you can work on. It’s much more motivating that way, and it’ll make you want to accept more criticism and continue to grow. Almost like having your own little literature club, don’t you think?”

_‘Uhhhhh…… What was she saying again?’_

“That’s my advice for today! Thanks for listening- Eh?”

Shuuichi is mumbling into his hand as he tries to collect what Kaede had told him.

“Shuuichi?”

“Huh- What? Oh, yeah! You’re welcome!” Something, something, mini literature club. Good enough.

“Hm… Alright.” Kaede turns around to face everyone else. “Okay, everyone! Why don’t we start figuring out the rest of the festival preparations? Let’s decide what everyone will be doing this weekend.”

“I already know what _I’m_ doing for sure.” Kokichi folds his hands behind his head. “That’s right, Kokichi will be baking cookies. But we might need a lot of them, and a variety of different flavours… Can you really handle that all by yourself?” Kaede wonders, looking down at him.

“Are you underestimating me? Fool! I’ll bake so many cookies you’ll have enough to feed an entire orphanage for weeks!”

“Ah yes, such an evil and cruel person you are, Kokichi,” Tsumugi says nonchalantly.

“As for myself, I’m going to be printing and assembling the poetry pamphlets. Kaito will be helping me design them.” Kaede glances at Kaito, who was still at his table at the top of the classroom.

Kokichi huffs. “Really? Kaito? The guy who can’t write anything unless it’s on patterned paper?”

“Oh shut up!”  
  


“It’s true!”

“Tsumugi will be making banners and decorations to help set the atmosphere. You have really pretty handwriting, so I’m sure everyone will like them!”

Tsumugi pushes her glasses up, a gleam of light flashing over them as if she were in some dramatic anime. “Ohoh, they better. I’ll blow this competition out of the water!”

“Competition?” Kokichi questions. “Didn’t know you were a competitive person, Tsukitsuki!”

“That’s a big fat lie, you know I’d never miss out on an opportunity to let myself shine more than you!” Tsumugi puts her hands on her hips. “My patterns and designs are top-notch, so I’m sure Shuuichi will want to see them. In fact, it would be quite helpful if he could, ahah…”

“Actually, if Kaede doesn’t mind, can I help Kokichi?”

Tsumugi glares at him. Kokichi snickers.

“Oh, absolutely not. I don’t mind at all! In fact, he has quite the heavy load, so I’m sure he’d appreciate it.” Kaede nods.

Tsumugi mutters a small ‘damn it’ under her breath. 

“Baking sounds like it could be fun, and we’re going to need some extra equipment too.”

“Uh huh! And I know that you just _love_ my cookies, so the choice is obvious.”

Kaede puts a hand on Tsumugi’s shoulder. “So it’s been settled. Are you guys excited?”

Kokichi jumps up in joy, but his face is completely blank. “Of course not, the festival is boring and I’m not looking forward to labouring in the kitchen with my dead weight of a partner.” He looks like he’s trying his hardest not to skip around and shake.

Shuuichi sighs, smiling slightly. “That’s a lie, isn’t it? Well, I’d say I’m interested to see how it’ll turn out.”

Kaede nudges Tsumugi. “What about you, Tsumugi?”

Tsumugi is still sulking. “Gosh, it’s because I’m so plain, isn’t it?”

  
“Ah- Of course not!”

Shuuichi twiddles with his fingers. “I’m sorry…”

Kokichi leans in to look at her. “Tsukiiii… Don’t get all sorrow like that! Come on, your paintings are lovely and they’ll really help make the event more welcoming! So you need to stop being dumb and give yourself a little more credit.”

“You don’t have to get all sappy like that! I like you better when you’re calling me a stupid bitch!” Tsumugi giggles, gently punching Kokichi’s arm. “It’s foreign.”

“Oh come on! Make up your mind.” Kokichi nudges her back.

“I hope to see everyone do their best! But with that, there’s nothing more for today, so I guess it’s time for us to head out,” Kaede announces.

Kaito looks over at Shuuichi, expecting him to approach. Only _now_ does Shuuichi realise he hasn’t spoken up at all. He wonders why.

“Ok, but I’m staying here a bit longer. I barely got to do any reading today, and I’m gonna hold you responsible for that forever." Kokichi crosses his arms, nipping at his sleeve with his fingernail.

Kaede sighs. “Fair enough, I’m sorry- Wait, won’t your mom get upset?”

“Shush! She said she doesn’t care anyway!”

Kaede presses her lips into a thin line. She thinks he’s lying. “Alright then.”

Everyone packs up their things. Kaede and Tsumugi leave first, chatting between each other. Shuuichi follows next to Kaito.

“Um, where are you going?”  
  
Or not. Kokichi grabs his blazer sleeve and drags him out.

“Oi- Kokichi! We have stuff to plan.” Kaito shoots him a disapproving look, tapping the imaginary watch on his wrist.

“Whatever you say, bird hair. Shumai’s hanging out with _me_ this weekend, not you. We have stuff to plan.”

“What else do you think I’d plan for?” Kaito says, annoyed.

“Uhm…” Shuuichi stalls, raising his hand up. “How about I go to Kokichi’s place on Saturday, and I go to Kaito’s on Sunday?”

Kokichi rolls his eyes. “That works, I guess. I’m free on Saturdays anyway, but I’m coming over to your house.”

Shuuichi blinks. “Eh? Why?”

“There’s no way I’m gonna try and convince my brother to leave the house this weekend. He does the weirdest shit when he’s outside. I’m pretty sure he’s come home covered in blood once.”

“Blood?!” Shuuichi’s voice squeaks. He finds it strange that Kokichi would need to get rid of him in the first place, but maybe he just wants some privacy.

“You can probably contact me through the group chat. I’ll bring all the ingredients and equipment over, aight? I’m gonna really show you why I love baking so much, so you’d better look forward to it.”

Shuuichi ruffles Kokichi’s hair. Kokichi’s cheeks tint pink.

“I’ll see you on Saturday, idiot.”

“A- You don’t just _do that!_ This is tall people privilege!!” Kokichi protests. Shuuichi chuckles. “Sucks for you.”

  
  
  


“You’re really chipper,” Kaito states, strolling next to him down the sidewalk. “What’s your uncle gonna say? Oh- nevermind, he’s out in the city. I forgot.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? I get to be with him alone! He’s a mystery, maybe he can tell me some stuff in private.”

Kaito doesn’t respond. Shuuichi doesn’t mind for once, he’s too busy thinking about preparing the house and setting everything up so Kokichi doesn’t judge him. Even though he’s gotten pretty used to handling him, there’s no telling what might end up happening outside of school.

He can’t believe this! It’s a strange feeling of excitement and anxiousness that makes him want to do everything at once. Right now. Is there a chance he has to deepen their bond or is it too early for that? Only time will tell.

But until then, he won’t be able to take his mind off it.

He seriously can’t wait!

-

-

-

**Kokichi:** oooooiiii !!!   
**Kokichi:** my mom said it’s ok as long as she drops me off and collects me

 **Kokichi:** what a worry-wat !!! >:( she knows i’m old enough to handle this on my own

 **Kokichi:** but i digress . ur ok with that, right ? :)))

[ Read ]  
  


 **Shuuichi:** oh yeah that’s fine. sorry about the hassle,,

**Kokichi:** ughhhh don’t be stupid !!! u aren’t wasting my time or anything

[ Read ]

**Shuuichi:** really? idk, i doubt it

**Kokichi:** whatever :///

 **Kokichi:** btw . can i tell you a secret?

[ Read ]

**Shuuichi:** hm?

[ Kokichi is typing… ]

**Kokichi:** i’m putting cyanide in the cookies and you can’t stop me ! neeheehee !!

 **Kokichi:** :( anyways i gtg . i’ll see if i can sneak my phone upstairs :)))

 **Kokichi:** if i can’t, goodnight !! :DD

[ Read ]

**Shuuichi:** goodnight, kokichi

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no poem game today :( but instead you can comment suggestions for the festival and the sunday kaito event !!!  
> i'll be working on the death fic on the side . i hope you enjoy the new poems and plans i have there~  
> super despairing !!  
> anyways  
> you can either  
> \- suggest stuff for the festival  
> \- suggest stuff for kaito's event  
> \- both
> 
> see you next chapter !!


	6. Warm Goods, Warm Hands And Warm Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi shrugs. “I don’t really get how you can tolerate him. Honestly, you’re kind of a doormat.”
> 
> Shuuichi coughs. “H- Huh?! How does that make me a doormat?!”
> 
> “It’s true, you just refuse to admit it! Aw, you’re gonna get all sour, aren’t you? Is it because you admire me? I do the same! I’m always thinking about you, y’know? You’re like a mite in my brain.”
> 
> A light blush dusts Shuuichi’s cheeks. “Whatever you say.” He starts pulling items out of the bags.
> 
> “Ahah! You’re just refusing to admit that I’m right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No poem game this time. I have a sprite ready for Kokichi's outdoor outfit, but I didn't finish colouring before posting this chapter  
> Apologies for the lateness and the shortness !! I tried to make it worthwhile though  
> Expect lots of saiouma  
> Enjoy ~ !

It’s already Saturday and the only thing on Shuuichi’s mind has been Kokichi’s upcoming visit. He keeps trying to remind himself there’s no reason to be nervous, but it doesn’t help much. Almost pulling himself out of bed, slippers dragging across the floor as he heads to the bathroom, he allows his mind to wander for once. 

Bad idea, as it’s all just filled with worries and wonders. Will he act any different when it’s just the two of them? Should he dress to impress or just stay in a hoodie and jeans? How  _ does _ Kokichi make those ridiculously delicious cookies of his?

Meanwhile, he’s been texting him a lot throughout the night. He’s just as mischievous--if not even more--than he’d be at club meetings. His messages are full of cutesy emoticons and as many twists and turns as he’d expect. Kokichi also really likes complaining about things. It’s mostly insignificant, but the other boy talks about them with such seriousness that he wants to know how deep it really goes.

Putting Kokichi aside, Shuuichi doesn’t actually have that many baking supplies. A few trays here and there, sure, but nothing that would really be of use. Does that even matter? Of course it does, he said he’d have them before Kokichi’s arrival. He can probably skip breakfast to buy them, he’s already brushing his teeth now after all.

Right… Just idly brushing his teeth. Shuuichi never likes staring at himself in the mirror like some mopey protagonist [hah], but he should at least put some concealer on or something.

…

Shuuichi’s index finger slightly pulls at the skin under his eye. It’s darkened significantly, and his sickly pale skin doesn’t help with contrast.

No wonder why Kokichi called him ‘raccoon eyes’ on the first day. Yeah, he needs a lot of concealer.

  
  


Who cares about dressing properly? An outdoor jacket will cover his torso up anyway. Walking by with pedestrians conversing around him makes him reconsider though. The feeling that each slouch or each unbrushed strand of hair or just the general look of him being judged is hard to shrug off.

Hands deep in his pockets and Tsumugi’s pair of earmuffs on, Shuuichi strolls down a pathway to a nearby store he [apparently] knew quite well. Some people his uncle knew worked there or would constantly stop him to chat. Connections were around as far as they could go. With nobody else to really look up to here, he was like an uncle to everyone. From what Shuuichi could see, his uncle was like a celebrity while he himself was just a mere extra. He wouldn’t know though, he rarely goes outside. [What did he expect? Idiot.]

Shuuichi steps into the local shop, instantly hit with a buzz of noise and bright white lights. Quickly reminded of why he never goes outside, Shuuichi briefly considers exiting and sprinting as fast as he can home--however he smothers the thought before he can fully think it out.

Shuuichi quickly pulls out his phone and checks the time. It’s around… twelve p.m.?! Ah, he needs this to be as brief as possible then. He checks his text messages. Kokichi should be at his house by two p.m. However, he did mention living far away so he could possibly be late… Ah, wait, he still needs to buy stuff! He can’t just sit around the store and block people’s way!

He repeats in his mind that he only needs to get baking supplies. Kokichi also told him to buy some baking ingredients if he didn’t already have them at home. No coffee-- Well… Maybe coffee. Coffee is always needed, but nothing else. Shaky hands grip the handles of a basket as he makes his way down to the aisle. Is he always this cold or is it because he passed the dairy section momentarily? 

After taking most of what he would need, Shuuichi reaches his hand out to grab a wire rack before stopping. Would that count as something necessary? He just needs ‘equipment’, nothing else. Then he can just sit at the checkout, pay and then leave to mentally prepare himself for finally having someone at his place after a good few years. Not including Kaito, of course! He doesn’t really count. Like… Someone exciting! Does that imply he thinks Kaito is boring? 

“Hey, Shuuichi!”

Shuuichi shakes, nearly dropping the items in his arms. It’s nothing much, just a whisk, some baking paper and a few other chunks of metal he’s never going to use again. He turns his head. Kaito is next to him, grinning widely as always.

Speak--or rather, think--of the devil and he shall appear. The other still has his hair gelled up for some odd reason, and it’s attracting quite the mass of stares, therefore drawing attention to Shuuichi as well. Can’t he just keep his hair in a ponytail, or is that too ‘feminine’ for his liking?

In typical Kaito fashion, the taller man announces his presence and makes it  _ very obvious _ that Shuuichi exists to the rest of the store. It’s not that he detests the other’s mere existence, he just wanted this to be quick without hassle. Kaito often goes on in conversation for long strings of time, and he’d rather have extra time left to do nothing at home.

So in typical Shuuichi fashion, once Kaito tries to speak to him, he tunes him out and only picks up the information that’s most important. 

“You’re always looking all dead like that. Did you even sleep yesterda--”

Cut. Sleep isn’t that important. He needs to spend his time doing stuff that’s more useful, like homework or paying attention to Kokichi. Why would the other one be important? He- He just seems lonely! That’s all. He never shuts up about it either.

“--I’m not gonna stop pestering you about this. You need to take better care of yourse--”

Nope. He doesn’t. He may have not eaten anything before coming here, but some things have to be sacrificed for the sake of time and need. What’s so important about breakfast anyway? He wakes up after noon on weekends most of the time, so it’s unnecessary.

“--Just because you’re uncle’s out of town doesn’t mean you can just do whatever--”

Ignoring that. Hm, what can he focus on? Kaito is holding a box of baking soda and a newspaper under his arm. What would he need that for? Is he baking something too? Wait, no, Kaede mentioned him working on pamphlets with her. Yes, think about literally everything except the person in front of him! Literally everything else… Hey, how’s meeting Kokichi’s mom gonna be--

“Are you even listening?”

Before being dragged out of his thoughts, Shuuichi was merely glaring at Kaito like a decaying fish out of water, his eyes glazed over and dull. The sudden question makes Shuuichi jolt. Kaito has his hand on his shoulder, and it’s a lot more discomforting than he’d like to admit, so he takes a step back away from him.

“Ah- Erm- Yes! Uh-- You mentioned me looking gloomy and sad! As always, you always bring it up.” He stumbles over his words. Not a good look on him, honestly. Kaito just stares at him. Staring! Can he stop that? It’s  _ really _ irritating.

“Don’t look at me like that!” He ends up just saying it directly. This is Kaito, he’ll listen to him! He slips his supplies into the metal basket in his other hand, mentally scolding himself for forgetting it existed up until now.

Kaito sighs. “Guess the tables are gonna turn. Now I’m gonna be heading to your house to help you sleep. You need to take better care of yourself.”

Shuuichi forces a chuckle. “You’re really insistent on that, huh. I’m fine. We’re meeting tomorrow, we can talk then.” Before Kaito can even think about stopping him, Shuuichi has already ran off to the nearest checkout.

That’s a pity.

  
  
  


To call that interaction ‘awful’ would be an understatement. He briefly wonders why, oh why he can’t just keep his mouth shut for once? Always repeating the same thing over… He’s quite blunt. It works well in social situations, but it’s also quite irritating. Especially when you’re intentionally trying to rot away under your own unhealthy habits.

Shuuichi makes it back to his house, only to see Kokichi and a woman just barely taller than Kokichi at his doorstep. They were waiting for him and Shuuichi was late, what a perfect first impression. Speedily walking towards the pair, Shuuichi drops his bag down near the doormat. He takes a few breaths before speaking up. Is it just him or does the air reek of perfume?

“Good afternoon! I assume you must be Kokichi’s mother?” Argh, stop being so stiff! Just a second glance would prove his assumption. Her hair is more of a deep navy than purple, tied up in a tight bun, and she still seems quite youthful for her age. For her age? He shouldn’t think that so casually. For all he knows, that woman could be as young as she appears, not even his mom at all or both. 

Other than that, she’s just wearing a black blazer over a white shirt, some dress pants and black pumps. It looks quite plain on the outside, but there’s so many intricate designs along the fabric… It’s like something his own mother would wear, and her taste is quite expensive to say the least.

“Oh, you’re quite tall! My son would probably be just as big as you if he bothered to eat. He’s so skinny and frail, he’s practically underweight!” she mentions nonchalantly. Kokichi furrows his eyebrows, clearly insulted by the comment. “Mom, you don’t just say that!”

As for Kokichi, his appearance completely threw Shuuichi off. He’s tugging at the bottom of an unzipped lavender hoodie, twirling the hoodie string around his other hand’s finger. It’s quite baggy on him.

The black shirt underneath it says ‘HONSE’ in bold white letters and has some deformed image of a horse on it, however Shuuichi can’t read it thanks to the checkered bandana around Kokichi’s neck. 

He has a pair of dark grey denim shorts on and some rainbow striped thigh highs, as well as a pair of purple runners. His hair is also tied up, but instead in a low and messy ponytail.

Seeing him in such cute clothes makes the regular school uniform seem completely unfitting in comparison. Is that weird? Has he been staring? Ah fuck, he’s gay.

The only good thing coming out of this is Kokichi’s presence and his mother carrying the entire conversation. She might as well be communicating with a dry rock, since Shuuichi has just been nodding and smiling as she introduces herself.

“You look quite tired.”

Shuuichi nods once more. “I’m quite aware. I just need some coffee--”

“Coffee isn’t good for you, it rots your teeth and rots your brain!”

Well that’s just. Not true, but alright.

“How old are you? Do you have any siblings?”

“I turned 18 two months ago--”

“Oh? Ah, it seems Kokichi is older than you. What a shock! He’s always acting so immature, it’s like he de-aged after puberty.”

Kokichi grits his teeth, but doesn’t say anything.

“Nobody answered the door when we came. Where are your parents? They’re quite irresponsible to leave you on your own like this! You need to stay with your parents after all, especially a mother--”

He should’ve tuned her out for longer. Parents are just ‘like that’ it seems, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. They’ll always blabber about how blood bonds are stronger than friendship or romantic love simply because they want to feel special for producing a screaming meat demon.

Shuuichi scratches the back of his neck and casually mentions that he lives with his uncle in the hopes that that’ll get her to shut up. To be more specific, he tells her, “My parents are overseas so they’re leaving me with my uncle. He’s currently out of town for work, so that’s the main reason I invited Kokichi over in the first place.”

Good! She’s quiet now. Shuuichi picks his bag up and fishes his house keys out of his pocket. The mother presses her lips into a fine line before wishing Shuuichi well and telling him she’ll come back at six p.m.

He sticks a key into the keyhole and opens the door. Now it’s just him and Kokichi outside the house. That was… An experience.

“Hm? What’s that look for? Am I too handsome for you to handle? Take a picture if you’re gonna stare!” Kokichi is back to his cheery state, a stark contrast to how anxious he looked before. “It’s gonna be a long afternoon, but that doesn’t mean we’re gonna have free time to fuck or something. Anyway, I’m coming in.”

With that, Kokichi enters the building and Shuuichi follows after. He closes the door behind him and takes off his jacket, but Kokichi doesn’t seem to do the same. He smooths out the spare school shirt he had under his jacket with his other hand. He might’ve been a bit lazy today, not even bothering to take off what he had slept in

His eyes trail down to Kokichi’s own bag, much larger than his own and filled to the brim with items and ingredients.

“I see you brought a lot of stuff-- Kokichi?”

The bag is now at Shuuichi’s feet. The other boy has managed to speed down to the other end of the hall and is now crouched down next to a heater. He’s almost slumping against it. That’s what he gets for wearing shorts in November…

Shuuichi hangs his coat up on one of the racks near the door. Kokichi is oddly silent though, and that’s what is concerning Shuuichi. It takes him a good five minutes before actually saying anything. The only thing he mutters is, “You have heating,” before standing up and looking back at Shuuichi. 

“God, I knew your parents were all rich and famous but this is a bit much, isn’t it? Your house is huge!”

… Shuuichi wouldn’t say that, but he might just be spoiled. He would question how Kokichi knew they were rich, but they’re in show business. His dad has been in a few big name movies, so perhaps Kokichi would know from there. That’s besides the point, because this isn’t their house. This is his uncle’s, and he wouldn’t even consider it as large.

Ah, Kokichi must be exaggerating his response though. He does that pretty often, so it wouldn’t be much of a shock either.

“Oh- And it’s all full of bombs and cyanide! Nee-heehee! You’re not making it out of here alive, Shumai,” Kokichi cackles. “But I lied. It would be  _ really _ disappointing if I came all this way just to see your kitchen isn’t equipped for the job. You brought everything I asked you to, right?”

Shuuichi nods, but Kokichi keeps on going on. 

“Or are you gonna kill me too? Clever, Shuuichi! You planned a counterattack even I wouldn’t expect!” Kokichi grins, folding his hands behind his head. “You’re quite sly. That’s why you took so long, sneaky bastard.”

Shuuichi huffs. “Let’s just go to the kitchen..”

“You’re not gonna even offer to carry my heavy bag for me? Where’s your hospitality, Shumai?” Kokichi pouts, which is by far the cutest gesture he’s made so far. Shuuichi almost thinks he sounds like a creep by thinking stuff like that all the time. 

“I’d assume you take it yourself, but I guess I have to be the gentleman here since you left it with me…”

Shuuichi grabs the bag on the floor and pulls it up. “Ghk-- How much stuff is in this thing?!”

Kokichi laughs. “God, you’re weak. I thought hanging out with a sports freak like Kaito would help build some muscle up on you.”

Ouch, a punch to his ego. A bead of sweat drips down Shuuichi’s forehead. “I didn’t think someone like you would be able to carry all of this.. Or maybe you got your mom to do it?”

“You jerk!” Kokichi hits a fist into Shuuichi’s chest. “I’m not  _ that _ small. And anything she said about me being frail was a lie. We’re a family of cheats, y’know? All being deceitful towards each other!”

“That’s-- That’s not healthy!” Speaking of the obvious, good job, Shuuichi. He heaves Kokichi’s bag over to the kitchen along with his own.

Kokichi follows beside him, arms crossed in front of his chest. “But I guess there’s advantages. I can hide in any place I want! I’m really good at hide-and-seek and the closet game. I’d always beat my brother at both.”

“The closet game?” Shuuichi quirks an eyebrow. 

“Yeah! It’s hard to explain, a plebian like you wouldn’t understand how complex it is.”

The only closet game Shuuichi has heard of is one where you try and summon a demon. It has nothing to do with hiding at all. Shuuichi would ask for an elaboration, but Kokichi seems unwilling. He might have to search it up later, then.

“I like proving people that I’m worth more than my size. I’m already more successful than half those losers anyway. Vice president of a club, ruler of a super secret organisation, wanted by police nationwide, I’m living the dream! It’s fun when I get to be small and better than people.”

Shuuichi stays silent. Wanted by police nationwide? That must be impossible--

“And don’t ask questions about any of that! Don’t think you can make me risk losing my title just because we aren’t at school-- Are we gonna get started or what? There’s a lot of stuff I gotta teach you.”

Shuuichi… Laughs.

“What?!”

“Nothing, nothing. You’re more fun when you get all excited like that, even if a lot of your words are hyperbole.”

“Oi! Now you’re treating me like a kid, Shumai! I’m not letting my guard down or anything, I’m not as idiotic as Kaito. I’m pretty sure I’m stronger than him too!! He’ll know not to mess with me next time he punches me out of nowhere!”

What?   
“Punches you out of nowhere…?”

“ _ Eehh??? _ Don’t look at me all concerned like that, you  _ know _ what I’m talking about!”

Kokichi wasn’t exactly  _ wrong _ per se. Kaito had a bit of an issue when it came to his temper, and getting a little punch-happy wasn’t out of range. It’s just… Shocking to know that sort of behaviour wasn’t just with Shuuichi.

Kokichi shrugs. “I don’t really get how you can tolerate him. Honestly, you’re kind of a doormat.”

Shuuichi coughs. “H- Huh?! How does that make me a doormat?!”

“It’s true, you just refuse to admit it! Aw, you’re gonna get all sour, aren’t you? Is it because you admire me? I do the same! I’m always thinking about you, y’know? You’re like a mite in my brain.”

A light blush dusts Shuuichi’s cheeks. “Whatever you say.” He starts pulling items out of the bags.

“Ahah! You’re just refusing to admit that I’m right.”

  
  


Before they know it, the entire kitchen is a mess. Spoons, dirty bowls, flour, spilled fluid and paper bags are strewn about every countertop. There were four main flavours Kokichi had picked, and the bowls for each batch of cookie dough were still not enough to contain it all, so they had to repeat the process several times. 

Meanwhile, Kokichi is babysitting all of his movements to make sure Shuuichi doesn’t mess up his precious baking. He hates to admit it, but Kokichi can be surprisingly dominant when he wants to. It’s just like Kaede said.

“They’re all the same width apart, right? Do you think we should make some icing or leave them plain?”

“Do you want to? They’re already quite loaded, with all the chocolate chips and such… Wouldn’t it be too much?” Shuuichi squishes the dough between his fingertips so that each piece is an even dome. Apparently they will spread a lot as they bake, and Kokichi keeps putting emphasis on that. He finishes preparing the last tray.

“We could probably dip each cookie in a thin coating of icing as a barrier, or something to make the next bit of icing stand out. It’s a literature event, so I was thinking we could write a different word on each cookie. Maybe organise them by flavour. Nouns for regular, adjectives for double chocolate, verbs for white chocolate and adverbs for dark chocolate.” Kokichi points at each ball of dough as he lists off the options.

“Hm… That’s actually a really good idea,” Shuuichi mutters. Kokichi must have thought this out quite deeply. 

“The variety is important. Sure, you can make one thing taste good, but even if you make the best cookies in the world, you won’t be able to compete with those who can make more options. So you gotta be versatile! Spice things up a little, even if they’re all cookies at the end of the day.”

“Speaking of icing,” Kokichi looks over Shuuichi’s shoulder to see his bowl--they had separated the icing into three mixtures, and Shuuichi was left with the thick white one. “Are you even trying? It’s still all lumpy!”

“Well, yeah, it’ll take a little longer to mix! See, I’ll do it right now.” Shuuichi picks the bowl and the whisk next to it up and starts whisking it together as hard as he can. The mix splatters a bit, and Kokichi groans in annoyance.

“You really can’t do anything by yourself, can you? Idiot! Just- Let me do it!!”   
  
Kokichi grips Shuuichi’s wrist, causing a small squeak from the inexperienced boy. Tilting the bowl back slightly, Kokichi taps the whisk against the side of the bowl and leans in. They’re really… Close…

“Just smacking it with no rhythm isn’t gonna do anything. Pressure is important too.”

Kokichi tries to mix the icing up further, but it nearly ends up spilling in the process. With no other choice left, Kokichi reluctantly moves his hand lower to hold Shuuichi’s. Shuuichi stares down. Kokichi can lie and tease the day away, but he certainly can’t lie about how warm his hand is right now. It’s almost making him feel dizzy…

Kokichi starts moving the other’s hand to beat at the mixture. “Even so, you’ve gotta work harder! Beat the shit out of it! Release all your anger through it if that helps.”

After a few seconds, the consistency of the icing has already started to improve. It’s a bit of an awkward position, and he may be squeezing Shuuichi’s hand quite tightly, but… Is Shuuichi really that lonely?!

A few more seconds go by. The bowl is down on the countertop. Kokichi takes a quick taste of the icing, savouring the taste. His hand unconsciously separates Shuuichi’s from the whisk to intertwine fingers.

“K- Kokichi?” Shuuichi tries to grab his attention, but Kokichi simply stands there, humming softly. He’s content, and Shuuichi really doesn’t want to ruin that. He looks… Really cute. He’s always cute when drifting off like that. Not a blank, emotionless stare when he’s honest or a loud, dramatic cry when playing theatrics. 

He’s just calm.

Shuuichi looks into his eyes, Kokichi unexpectedly looks back. They’re just… Standing there… It’s strange, but not unwanted.

Still, situations like these get pretty awkward after a while, so Shuuichi has to intervene. Well, he  _ would _ if Kokichi didn’t speak up first.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” 

Shuuichi gulps. "I th-think the icing is done, why are you holding my hand like that?"

Kokichi’s eyes widen, cheeks slightly red. He swiftly releases Shuuichi’s hand from his grip and takes hold of the bowl once more, most likely to move it away. “Why were  _ you _ holding my hand like that, weirdo?! We’ve got cookies to make and we’re running out of time!!”

Shuuichi laughs. Ah, that’s a pretty sight. Kokichi looks cute like that. Kokichi is always cute in general.

That peace is short lived once the fire alarm starts blaring. Kokichi yelps, jolting and immediately covering his ears. “What the fuck?! I thought you didn’t put the cookies in yet!” He quickly throws the bandana over his nose and mouth.

Shuuichi turns to the stovetop, smoke rising from the oven in large heaps. He reaches out to open it, but Kokichi is quick on his feet to grab an oven mitt and yank it for him. Coughing harshly, he grabs a blackened tray from inside and drops it onto the stovetop. “ _ Moron! _ You left a dirty tray in here! You should’ve checked before turning the oven on!”

With the way Kokichi is scolding him, it’s almost as if he’s being yelled at for attempted murder. A pit drops in his stomach. “S-Sorry…” He mumbles a small apology.

“ _ Sorry? _ Fucking hell… Be more careful! I don’t want you dying here!”

A few moments pass as Kokichi swatts the smoke away. In another moment, the alarm stops. Kokichi makes some odd choked sound before dabbing his eyes with the bandana. “Idiot… Don’t do that again.” He’s back to fidgeting, and Shuuichi worries he made him upset.

“You put them in the oven,” Kokichi points at the trays of cookie dough, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Kokichi turns on his heel and quickly sprints away. Shuuichi apologises again, knowing fully well he isn’t going to hear or acknowledge it. Ah well, he tried. After sliding the trays into the oven, he reluctantly picks up the whisk and continues with the icing as if nothing ever happened.

  
  


Fifteen minutes pass, and Kokichi is back, cheerful as ever. “Ahh, don’t they smell great?” The cookies are ready to be pulled out of the oven. As soon as Kokichi opens the oven door, a blast of sweet-smelling warm air fills the room. It’s a type of smell that can only be brought back to cookies, and it’s similar to what he opened up in the box he received when he first met Kokichi.

“As expected, my superior mix makes the best results. Look at them! Admire them!” Kokichi picks up two trays in each hand, one regular and one double chocolate. He shows them off to Shuuichi, the other ogling at the freshly baked confections. Unlike their store bought counterparts they are irregular in shape and size, still mostly round but with enough imperfections to be perfect. Maybe he’s just hungry.

“Ooh… They already look quite nice. Are you sure we have to cover all that up?” Shuuichi asks, moving his hand to take a cookie.

Kokichi swatts it away. “Eat one and you’ll die a horrible death. I didn’t bring all the decorating stuff for nothing.” 

He puts them down and hands Shuuichi a few plastic bags. “Here, scoop the icing into these bags. I brought a bunch of fancy nozzles. Some are more suited for cakes and stuff.” He picks up a small metal nozzle. “This one can even make flowers! We probably won’t be using it this time, though.”

Shuuichi considers rebutting, however that would probably make the treats too crowded. “I see…”

Kokichi hands Shuuichi two small nozzles, each with thin tips. “Attach those to the black icing. Write whatever you want, as long as it’s legible. I wouldn’t recommend cursive for this.”

After Shuuichi fills the bags, Kokichi fastens the nozzles onto each of the bags. A bowl of thin white icing was left so they could dip one side of the cookies into it. He shows Shuuichi how to apply the icing, holding his hands like before, and then they each get to work. He almost wishes they would stay for longer before smothering the thought. They have a limited amount of time.

  
  


When they’re finished decorating, Kokichi lines up all the trays to admire their work. “Look at how pretty they are together! … They’re actually quite plain, since you can’t differentiate any of the flavours, but it’ll be like a surprise thing!”

Kokichi grumbles. “I almost wanna eat one now…”

“Why can’t you?” Shuuichi asks, “Eating one or two wouldn’t hurt.”

Kokichi crosses his arms. “Yeah, well-- I didn’t make a shit ton of cookies for the festival just to eat them now!! If we have to, we’ll eat them on Monday.”

“Ah, that’s fair,” Shuuichi nods, “If Kaito was here, he would’ve downed ten and forgotten about the festival entirely.”

“Do you think I didn’t have to deal with that before you arrived? God was it annoying…”

Kokichi feels his phone buzz in his pocket. “Damnit-- What does she want now?” he mutters as he takes it out. Does he have a call to take? Kokichi walks out of the kitchen once more to talk.

He actually seems to return a lot quicker than expected, only three minutes-- Was Shuuichi keeping count? Weirdo.

“I was hoping we could talk or read some manga--”

“So you’re finally calling it manga now, huh?” Shuuichi teases, “Anyway, that’s a shame. You seem really excited about sharing it.”

Kokichi sharply inhales. “It’s your fault for working so slowly! My mom is outside. She’s super picky with letting me go out and stuff. She only let me go because you’re a guy and it’s for school.”

Oh. Shuuichi rubs the back of his neck. “Really? I wouldn’t expect that, your mother actually seems really nice.”

Kokichi’s breath hitches and the air grows stagnant. This is like Kaito’s situation all over again, Kokichi is visibly uncomfortable. What was wrong with what he said? 

Kokichi hesitates. “... You can bring the cookies on Monday, right? If you carry them with Kaito, you can probably make it in one trip. Just don’t let him inhale any of them.”

“I- Inhale--?!”

“Eat them really fast, you know what I mean!” 

Shuuichi nods. “Yeah, I’ll make sure of that. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he doesn’t eat any.”

Kokichi laughs. “Gee, I wish he listened to me like he does with you.”

“Oh, it’s not just a ‘you’ thing. I end up trailing behind and following him around. He’s a natural born leader, it seems, and I’m just an extra.”

Kokichi lightly punches Shuuichi’s arm. “Idiot.”

He takes his abnormally large back and lifts it up. “I’m all packed up. Good work, I guess.”

A few harsh knocks can be heard from outside. Just like that, Kokichi is ready to leave. It feels like the afternoon went by in a flash, and it was more Kokichi telling him what to do than a proper interaction. Did he even manage to get closer or know more about him like he wanted?

Kokichi huffs. “Thanks for all the help and everything. I’ll see you later--”

“Wait, Kokichi!”

Just as Kokichi is about to step out, Shuuichi stops him. “I-I know you said your mom is picky about this stuff, but you can come back any time, you know? We can say it’s for homework or a school project. W-We could even go outside if you wish!”

Kokichi looks at him with that blank expression of his that always makes the anxiety inside him bubble. But it doesn’t seem judging or malicious. 

“... Do you really mean that?”

Shuuichi pauses. “... Yeah. I want to spend more time with you.”

Kokichi turns around. “Look, I’m sorry we ran out of time. I don’t want to leave early! I- I’d stay longer if I could! And…”

Suddenly, Kokichi gets closer to him. Shuuichi takes a step back for every one Kokichi takes closer. “K- Kokichi?”

Standing just a few centimetres away, he feels Kokichi clutch the side of his shirt, almost as if he’s holding onto him. “This might seem a little sudden. You can-- You can hit me if you don’t want it! But I--”

Another few knocks on the door.

Kokichi’s breath stops momentarily, and he immediately lets go.

“...”

“This never happened.”

And then he’s… Gone. Like that, he sprints towards the doorway and out of the house. Once again, Shuuichi finds himself wishing he stayed longer before trying to push the thought out of his mind.

He can only wait for the festival.

-

-

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, it's a bit short, so i apologise  
> i might also prepare a cg or two for this scene as well !!  
> i hope you liked this chapter !!!  
> i am also still taking requests for the festival arc and kaito's event  
> until chapter 7, and the beginning of act 2  
> -  
> i will also give a special shoutout to MysteriousPersonEXE for the transcript they posted of DDLC on wattpad. i pretty much never go onto the site unless i have to, but it was very useful while looking back at events !! i'm not up for staring at corpses while playing the game myself after all  
> -  
> Read the transcript on Wattpad [here](https://www.wattpad.com/672826438-doki-doki-literature-club-full-script-1)


	7. Dearest Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I-It’s for convenience reasons! I don’t wanna get slurry in my hair.” Kaito scratches the back of his neck, and Shuuichi quirks up an eyebrow.
> 
> “Slurry?”
> 
> “Yep! Because we’re gonna blow up the moon!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK GUYS I'M SO FUCKING SORRY FOR UPDATING A WHOLE ASS MONTH LATE [it's december 26th 8am rn i stayed up writing this]  
> consider this as a late christmas thing !!! saimota nation this is your calling !!! :)  
> apologies if they seem ooc. i just imagine that they act more casual without the other club members around  
> i hope you enjoy the chapter nonetheless !!!  
> i was really busy this month in general because of stuffs but there's also new links and nonsense to check out !!  
> -  
> kokichi artwork of him in his casual outfit by katspistachios on twitter !!! - [check it out](https://twitter.com/KatsPistachios/status/1332797593898848256?s=20)  
> some birthday stuffs by brightstarblogs on tumblr !! [brightstarwrites here. my birthday was on the 23rd btw] - [perhaps i love it too much](https://brightstarblogs.tumblr.com/post/638332011387420672/happy-birthday-booperbeanv3-i-drew-your-ddlc-au)  
> stupid little discord server !! lcv3 roles are available which lets you see a category with my suffering :) - [ueue [sound of crying]](https://discord.gg/XmVJtAAYwt)

That was… Off.

Shuuichi idly scrolls through the club group chat, reading over what he missed. Apparently Kokichi had started a heated debate about fruits and vegetables before leaving, leading the remaining club members to make tier lists ranking them. Tsumugi and Kaito started bickering once the results came in, specifically over whether coriander tastes good or not.

**tsu53:** it literally tastes like soap and agony how can you stand it

[Yesterday - 3:34pm]

**stupidgalaxyslippers:** it makes soup taste good it makes salsa it’s good on its own

**stupidgalaxyslippers:** what’s there to dislike

[Yesterday - 3:34pm]

**missmelody:** .

**missmelody:** YOU EAT CORIADNER ON ITS#MS OWN ?>???>:@?

[Yesterday - 3:35]

**tsu53:** KA IT O

[Yesterday - 3:35]

Shuuichi groans. Seriously? Coriander? How desperate must one be?

But besides that.

Even with his brain swirling and spinning thanks to Kokichi living rent free in his mind, he can still understand that something weird has been going on with the other club members.

[Like Kaede? She’s super hot, huh--]   
Like Kaito. Perhaps he’s just trying to force some change for once, or maybe he’s trying to hide his own underlying health issues, but he has been abnormally concerned about Shuuichi for the past week.

Ah, but it could just be because he wants his dearest friend to be in good health for the festival.

Right?

And Tsumugi too! Shuuichi doesn’t exactly know her very well, but she seems to have some interest in him. It’s sort of strange… Shuuichi would call himself average at most, but if Tsumugi wants to go the plain route then he’s her perfect fit.

Perhaps he’s overthinking this. The book Tsumugi got him has remained untouched. It’s probably just a friend thing anyway.

His phone pings. It’s a message from Kaede in her usual texting fashion of weirdly polite.

**Kaede:** Good morning 😊! Or should I say afternoon? Don’t tell me you just woke up!! 😕

[ 2:19pm - Read ]

  
  


…Fuck.

Fuck! He’s supposed to be out in ten minutes-- Breakfast can wait!

Well… He’s tired and lazy and he got away with this yesterday, so he just spritzed on some body mist and ran downstairs to grab his coat.

  
  


**Kaede:** I know you’re up. You can probably grab a snack from the fridge or something, just don’t go outside yet.

[ 2:19pm - Read ]

  
  


Shuuichi huffs. Kaede is weird too… How did she know he’s going outside? Probably because he and Kaito literally discussed plans in the middle of the clubroom. Well then, what about what happened during Kaito and Kokichi’s many arguments? Shuuichi was too scared to question her about it at the time, but maybe now would be a good time to bring it up. 

Ha. As if he’d do that.

He quickly types a message back.

  
  


**Shuuichi:** is this important

[ 2:21pm - Read ]

**Kaede:** Of course it is! It’s about how to keep your date for the festival. 😊

[ 2:21pm - Read ]

  
  


Shuuichi stares at his phone screen. Date?

  
  


**Shuuichi:** i’m sorry my what now

[ 2:22pm - Read ]

**Kaede:** Kokichi. I mean Kokichi. I’m pretty sure the only one who doesn’t see the hearts flying off you two is Kaito. 

**Kaede:** He seems like the kind to confess even after seeing all these signs!

**Kaede:** Ahahahahah!

[ 2:22pm - Read ]

**Shuuichi:** right right

[ 2:23pm - Read ]

**Kaede:** Hm… Do I have to tell you? I won’t lie, it would be fun seeing Kokichi finally open up to someone without an ‘annoying mind reader’ by his side 😅

**Kaede:** It’s hard not to though! So I’ll say it all anyway.

  
  


Kaede is already typing before Shuuichi can comprehend what he’s even reading. Date… Kokichi? Doesn’t Kaede know not to use such extreme terminology? Unless that soda bottle was a weird innuendo and that poem was a hidden confession, Shuuichi doubts Kaede’s words. She could just be playing matchmaker though. That’s… Annoying??? Shuuichi doesn’t know how to feel.

  
  


**Kaede:** Kokichi really likes gifts. He also really likes being spoiled, but refuses to admit that unless it’s a part of his ‘supreme organisation roleplay’.

[ 2:24pm - Read ]

  
  


So he likes it but… Doesn’t. Maybe the oddness is because everyone here is built of a cliché, and Kokichi is the weird tsundere type. He surprisingly wouldn’t put it past him.

Why does he care? Does he want to get Kokichi something? Maybe. Shuuichi still needs to pay him back for the baking meet up after all. Yeah!

  
  


**Kaede:** His favourites are sweets, comfy things and food in general.

**Kaede:** You could give him money if you wanted to, but I’m pretty sure he stole enough from you the other day.

**Kaede:** Ahahaha!

[ 2:25pm - Read ]

**Shuuichi:** what.

[ 2:25pm - Read]

**Kaede:** Whoopsies~ I don’t think I’m supposed to know that nor tell you that.

**Kaede:** But I know everything anyway, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

**Kaede:** I’m Club President after all!

[ 2:25pm - Read ]

**Shuuichi:** like that one graduate? sayaka maizono? she’d always talk about being psychic or whatever

[ 2:25pm - Read ]

**Kaede:** Correct!

**Kaede:** Gosh, there’s always something funny going on with the musical girls, huh?

**Kaede:** Crafty creative ones in general.

**Kaede:** Just look at Angie and Miu! They’re quite the odd bunch.

**Kaede:** Miu especially. She likes picking at me a lot, but I don’t give in. I think she’s quite funny actually! But she really gets on my nerves…

[ 2:26pm - Read ]

**Shuuichi:** indeed indeed, but she’s easy to scare.

[ 2:26pm - Read ]

**Kaede** : Back on topic!

**Kaede:** Something simple would work best for him, like a soft pillow or a cozy blanket.

**Kaede:** Too much and he might break down and cry! But a liar’s true tears are the most valuable after all.

[ 2:27pm - Read ]

**Shuuichi:** you say a lot of strange stuff over text

[ 2:27pm - Read ]

**Kaede:** It’s the closest to privacy we’ll ever get, Shuuichi.

**Kaede:** Oh! I think you have a meeting with Kaito today, don’t you?

**Kaede:** It would be a shame if you came late. Don’t wanna keep him waiting, you know?

[ 2:28pm - Read ]

**Shuuichi:** oh right

**Shuuichi:** we can talk later then

[ 2:28pm - Read]

**Kaede:** Aw~ You’re so sweet! I wasn’t exactly planning it, but you’re more than welcome to talk to me any time!

**Kaede:** Okay?   
**Kaede:** Anyways, I hope you have a great time! 😊

[ 2:29pm - Read ]

[ Shuuichi is typing… ]

**Shuuichi:** yeah. sure

[ 2:30pm - Read ]

  
  
  


“Hey,” is all Shuuichi says once Kaito opens the door, standing outside Kaito’s doorstep. He coughs into his elbow a few times. How much cologne does a guy need? He reeks. Can he charge Kaito for second-hand smoking based on this?

“God, you look miserable. You know you can always just walk in, right? You have my house key.”

“Is that all you have to say?” Shuuichi asks, raking a hand through his hair. Ew, grease. He looks up at Kaito with a sharp glare.

The taller one merely laughs, flicking a piece of hair that’s jutting out of Shuuichi’s head. Shuuichi chose not to wear his hat this time, he’s with Kaito so there’s no need. He wishes he did now though, his glare only growing harsher

“At least brush your hair next time. You can’t go out looking like that! People judge silently all the time.”

Shuuichi groans. “Do you think I don’t know that? Speaking of silent judging, now that your hair is down you look  _ much _ better.”

All Kaito has on is a white NASA t-shirt and a pair of magenta sweatpants. Kaito’s hair is tied down in a messy ponytail, and he has his favourite pair of galaxy patterned slippers on as well.

“I-It’s for convenience reasons! I don’t wanna get slurry in my hair.” Kaito scratches the back of his neck, and Shuuichi quirks up an eyebrow.

“Slurry?”

Kaito grins widely. “Yep! Because we’re gonna blow up the moon!”

[What.]

What.

“What.” Shuuichi blinks twice.

Kaito pauses. “Ok, so you know those baking soda volcanos? Everyone has done that before! So we’re making the moon explode!”

Shuuichi smiles. “I’m down, just don’t make me clean the kitchen up afterwards.”

“Oh really now? Normally you’d say something like  _ ‘Ah, wouldn’t that be super messy? And illegal?’ _ ” Kaito quotes.

Shuuichi jabs Kaito’s arm. “Oh shut up! I’m too tired to worry about the law!”

“Well you should get tired more often! We can have more fun when you aren’t worrying about stuff like that.”

“Hey!”

Kaito shrugs. “You made fun of my hair, it’s only fair.” Shuuichi rolls his eyes.

“Has hanging out with Kokichi made you more feisty or what?” Kaito chuckles.

“Perhaps. I’m coming in.” Shuuichi walks past Kaito, taking his shoes off after entering. He hangs his jacket up and Kaito immediately seems to notice that his state is somehow worse. It’s annoying, a sixth sense. [Or maybe because you haven’t showered and you smell of marshmallows and sweat! No extra sense required.]

It’s uncomfortable. Shuuichi would appreciate it if he didn’t stare at him like that every time.

Kaito closes the door. “How long have you been wearing that?”

Shuuichi hums, but gives no clear response.

“There’s stains all over it.”

Shuuichi fidgets with his jacket’s string. “Since yesterday.”

“Shuuichi.”

“...Maybe the day before.”

“...”

“And the day before that.”

Kaito sighs. “And I’m guessing you slept in it too. I’ll get you one of my shirts.”

“Ah- Do  _ not _ \--”

“I don’t mind! The only issue is that it might be a bit big on you. I don’t mind doing any of this stuff for you, even if it feels like babysitting at times. I mean, you always clean my stuff up and help me with homework.”

“That’s-- That’s different!” Shuuichi assures, letting go of the coat. “It’s just chores and stuff. Nobody likes doing that, but I do, so I don’t mind helping out.”

“Doesn’t the same thing apply for me helping you with food and self care?”

“I’m in high school! I should be able to get out of bed each day and generally--  _ Exist _ without having to latch onto someone else!”

He moves his hands up to grip his head with a long, low hum of frustration. “It’s  _ different _ here… You know this…”

“Dude, you’re being too hard on yourself.”

“I’m sorry… I can’t just stop it.”

Shuuichi lowers his arms down to rest at his sides.

“I mean-- I can, I just don’t wanna put any effort into it.”

Shuuichi tenses up once he feels Kaito’s hand on his shoulder. Oh no, not this again..

“Brighten up a little, Shuuichi! It’s an equal trade, don’t be bothered by any of the specifics.”

… Whatever, there’s no point in arguing when he’s just trying to help.

“What are your plans for today?” Shuuichi asks in an attempt to change the subject. “Blow up the moon, obviously,” Kaito responds, moving his hand away, “After that? Talk stuff out!”

“Talk… Stuff out.” Shuuichi knows that won’t end well, but Kaito seems excited about it. For good reason, most likely, since Shuuichi has put a full week of effort into the literature club. Wowie! The bare minimum!

“Yeah! It’s been a while since we did something like that anyway.”

Shuuichi laughs, continuing to fidget with his hoodie. “I guess so. It’s been a while since we spent this much time together.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way! A hero needs his sidekick!”

Not really, and especially not someone as dull and useless as Shuuichi. “Not… Not always.”

“Shuuichi.”   
  
“What? Sometimes you have to work alone!”

“‘Sometimes’, not ‘always’. You’re sticking with me! And that’s a good thing, so don’t drag yourself down and think you’re burdening me.” Kaito starts walking down towards the kitchen. Shuuichi follows behind.

Kaito is too forgiving for his own good, but it’s not like he can stop him. It’s that sickening optimism that makes Shuuichi feel awful. There’s nothing to be depressed about here! So many people care! Kaito is right in front of him!

Shuuichi may even believe that Kaito is denser than he is when it comes to other people’s issues, but that sounds too harsh for his liking. Kaito isn’t a complete idiot. He’s known him for long enough to understand that.

This week has just been a bad week for himself, that’s all. Kaito’s just trying to help and he should be more grateful. Everyone’s trying to help! Even Kaede, if making him invisible to the rest of the club and spinning his brain around until it cracks and falls apart counts as ‘helping’.

It’s her own way of doing things though, and for all Shuuichi knows he could simply be delusional, but that’s unlikely. Is it? Did he even bring up that disaster scenario to Kaede? He can’t remember! Why now of all times?!

It’s a pain. Shuuichi must’ve slowed down because Kaito is already away by the time he refocuses. He steps into the kitchen and peers in.

Kaito is digging up supplies from one of the cupboards. A large papier-mâché balloon is on the countertop. A baking soda volcano? Or rather Kaito’s own spin on it. That’s… Cute? It’s the first word that comes to mind, but it sounds too strong. Endearing?

“What’s that for?” Shuuichi asks. Kaito nods before standing up and placing the items he retrieved next to it. “The moon! About the ball? I made it yesterday because I was worried about drying times. But we can always make another one! We’ll just need to put it in the oven so it dries quicker.”

“In the oven?!” Shuuichi repeats. “Wh- That’s gonna burn the whole house down!!”

“It sounds reasonable!”

“Absolutely not!” Shuuichi shakes his head. Kaito raises a hand before Shuuichi immediately cuts him off and says, “And  _ no _ we are  _ not _ harnessing the power of the sun just to bake some extra papier-mâché.”

Kaito huffs, grabbing a long, empty drink bottle. He twists the tap on and places the bottle under the faucet, filling it up with hot water. “The house won’t burn down if I ask it politely.”

“Now you’re just stealing quotes from me!”

“You’ve said that before?!”

“A-Anyway!” Shuuichi takes the balloon in his hands and turns to the other. “What do I do with this?”

“Pop the balloon! That’s it,” Kaito explains. He opens up a pack of baking soda and spoons some powder into the bottle. He then caps it and starts vigorously shaking it. “I’ll put the bottle in and you can pour the vinegar.”

Shuuichi sighs with a slight huff. “I’m not a kid helping their parents out with cooking. We can do bigger stuff!”

Kaito laughs. “It’s not like either of us know what that feels like to begin with. Hooray for awful parents!”

“Dead in your case.”

“Yaaaay!” Kaito raises his hand up, spilling a bit of hot water onto the floor. “Whoops-- I mean, you  _ can _ help me out with cooking if you’re insistent. Now you can eat your hard work!”

“I’ll probably have a taste, but that’s it.”

“Even after I help partially?”

“You’ll leave it all to me anyway,” Shuuichi grabs a pair of kitchen scissors and pokes the inside balloon so it pops. “So much for being the main character.”

“Main characters are spoon-fed information anyway. I’m not wrong!”

“Ahah. Perhaps.”

[Irony, because I’m the one giving him free dating tips. Such a protagonist! Do something less cliché like sulk in a mirror! I’m the only one allowed to be meta.]

“Come on, let’s put it in already!”   
  
Kaito’s like an excited child radiating with joy. Shuuichi hands the balloon over to him.. Said ‘excited child’ places the item on the countertop and gently slides the plastic bottle inside the opening near the top. Kaito’s eagerness is almost contagious, Shuuichi can’t help but feel a bit of anticipation, even if he knows what’s about to happen. 

“Ready?”

It’s the moment of truth! Shuuichi wouldn’t have seen himself doing something so childish, yet here he is. Shuuichi nods.

“Three, two, blow up the moon!” Kaito exclaims as Shuuichi pours the vinegar into the ‘moon’. The liquid starts bubbling, spilling out over the papier-mâché and onto the counter. Kaito mumbles something about needing a tray to prevent that.

“...” Shuuichi looks visibly disappointed, “So was that all you had planned for today?”

Kaito hesitates. “Maybe?” Even more disappointing. Not really, at least Shuuichi can put minimal effort into the activities they’d always do when one would visit the other.

Shuuichi huffs. “Let’s clean this up. Then we can go upstairs and do what we normally do.” ‘Normally do’ meaning ‘sit around and do nothing but ramble because what the fuck is an actually normal conversation’.

Now the situation has gone awkward. [So much for matchmaking.] Shuuichi grabs a kitchen towel and soaks it in some water before wiping the counter down.

“Was it exciting?” Kaito asks, “I thought it was.”

Shuuichi doesn’t respond. It would be quite rude to say it was anticlimactic after all. Once he finishes cleaning, he tosses the tissue away.

Kaito sighs. “Well then, we can just watch a movie or something? Play some games? Oh-- We could go outside!--”

“No, no, definitely not go outside. Weren’t you the one saying I looked miserable?” Shuuichi immediately shuts Kaito’s idea down.

“It was lighthearted! Besides, a bit of sunshine might help you feel less like a depressed zombie.”

“Are you insulting me or trying to encourage me? I can’t tell when it comes to you.” 

“I’m just saying!” Kaito raises his hands up defensively. “Let’s just go upstairs.”

Lightheartedness and jokes aside, it’s an issue Kaito has for sure. It only makes Shuuichi feel more and more drained as Kaito goes on about how he looks or acts and how he needs to improve. He’s just looking out for him, sure, but it reminds him too much of his parents. Wanting to not look dirty and unkempt before school isn’t him being ‘feminine’, and wanting to actually pursue certain hobbies isn’t a ‘girl thing’.

Well look at him now! He’s stopped caring about his looks and hobbies and the pressure ended up having him spiral into depression. Are they proud? Absolutely not! Now they’re still mad, still upset and still berating him over the stuff  _ they _ wanted him to stop.

… Perhaps he’s taking this too personally. Not every small thing someone does is a personal insult to him. He should probably stop being so sensitive and cheer up instead.

“--uuichi, Shuuichi!”   
  
Shuuichi jolts. “Spacing out again, huh? If you’re that tired, I can always carry you.”

“Carry me?! Wh-- Of course not!” Shuuichi rapidly waves his hands in front of his chest. A light blush dusts his cheeks.

“If you’re tired, I don’t mind.”

“N-No thanks! I can go up on my own.”

“Are you sure? Again, I don’t mind.”

“You’re desperate. I’m not a giant weight for you to lift,” Shuuichi jokes. Kaito surprisingly winces. Did he say something wrong?

“You’ve sort of been out of it these past few days. You sure Kokichi didn’t slide a chip into your brain when you hit your head?”

Shuuichi chuckles. “I’m sure. That wouldn’t be possible anyway.” Perhaps that harsh hit made him go stupid and that’s why he’s been acting off. He wouldn’t be surprised seeing how unlucky he is already.

“You never know!” Even Kaito seems unsure of what he just said, giving Shuuichi the idea that he simply said it to lighten up his mood.

“What’s so odd about my behaviour anyway?” Shuuichi asks.

Kaito shrugs. “Eh, nothing much. You just seem like you’re kinda empty.”

Isn’t that how he always seems though?

“It took you that long to notice?” Ah, that came off as rude. Shuuichi immediately tenses up.

“No! I just mean it’s different. Way different.” Kaito walks towards the doorway. Alright! No strong reaction! … Hopefully! Oh no, they ‘need to talk’, don’t they? Shuuichi feels his gut twist in worry.

“Come on, I’ll tell you more upstairs.”

  
  


“Your room looks messier than usual.”

“That’s because you don’t come to help me clean up.” Kaito scratches the back of his head. “Festival preparations have me busier than usual.”

Kaito’s room clearly displays that. Papers are strewn all over the table and floor, his laptop laying amongst them instead of hiding away in some random duffle bag. Each sheet has various different designs and ideas on them, something he’d expect from the more creative types in the club like Tsumugi. Does that sound bad? Probably. Idiot.

Aside from the mess of papers and supplies, Kaito’s usual decor of glow-in-the-dark stars and various space themed items are most of the room’s clutter. Shuuichi says he’s hoarding, Kaito says it’s a collection.

“Wow… This is…” Quite a lot of work, but for some reason Shuuichi can say that-- What the fuck.

“Hey, Kaito, do you hear that?” 

“Huh- Hear what-- Oh.”

Crunching??? Shuuichi moves away from the sheets. He’s not stepping on paper or anything.

[Whoops.]

Oh, now it’s gone. That’s weird.

[You heard nothing.]   
  
“... Nevermind. Anyways, you said you’d elaborate up here?”

“Right,” Kaito moves to sit on his bed. Shuuichi sits next to him. “It’s nothing much, it’s just been about the dreams I’ve been having recently. New hunches, new… Weird stuff.”

“Weird stuff?” The dream Kaito described in his poem definitely shook him up quite a bit. Shuuichi can’t imagine it getting any worse than that.

“I dunno, I just think you feel the same way as I do. Down, and stuff. Do you get these sorts of dreams and thoughts as well? I asked Maki about it and she said she had no clue.”

Maki is a girl Kaito tried befriending when they both first arrived at school. Pretty much the opposite of Kaito. Cold, pessimistic, cynical. She didn’t really like Kaito that much, but eventually he got her to ‘open up’ or something. Shuuichi doesn’t know what he did, but the trio is now inseparable.

Well, until now. 

Shuuichi has been spending so much time with Kaito nowadays that Maki has been left alone. Not that she really cares, because she hangs out with her other friends as well. Still, he can almost see her seem pained whenever Shuuichi walks past her.

“Well I can’t answer you if you don’t tell me what these thoughts are.”

“Empty.”

Shuuichi blinks. “Huh?”

“Just empty. Like nothing really matters. Nothing matters in the end, so why bother? Bad things happen all the time, but it’s not like you can do anything about them. What’s the point?”

Shuuichi keeps quiet. Yeah, he gets that a lot, but that’s not… That’s too depressing to bring up. Kaito will feel at fault and get upset.

“Ah, sorry dude. Didn’t mean to sour your mood or anything! Ahah! But I mean it. Sometimes everything just feels blank and tiring and I don’t know what to do but force myself out of it. It normally works for me, so why doesn’t it work now?”

Probably because that’s shitty advice, but Shuuichi isn’t going to say that outright. 

“On the topic of you, it’s even weirder. I see you’re going through something similar and I immediately want to come to your aid, even though I don’t really know how. It always makes me rethink everything I do, because I know you care and I do too.”

Shuuichi’s thoughts are shut down, or at least muffled once Kaito moves a little closer towards him. “I care about you a lot, dude. You’re honestly one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and it’s obvious that I’d like you a lot because of that.”

“Kaito…” Shuuichi mumbles, barely audible to even himself. “Well, I guess it’s only natural. I’m glad! I’m honestly glad I could have such a great friend like you.”

Kaito is silent.

“I mean, I was almost kind of worried that you’d abandon me or spread nasty things about me, but it’s nice to know that. And you know what?”

Shuuichi shifts closer and wraps his arms around Kaito, smiling softly. All Kaito has is a blank expression on his face. Empty, just like the empty he described a mere moment ago.

  
  


“I’m glad I can consider you as my dearest friend.”

“...”

“... Kaito?”

-

-

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) saimota nation reply below how was it :)  
> anyways i'm still open for festival ideas !!  
> \+ you're allowed to send me lcv3 related questions on tumblr and discord  
> super sorry for the delay once more !! until chapter 8 and the beginning of a new act  
> -

**Author's Note:**

> Every day is full of chit-chat and fun activities with all of my adorable and unique club members! I'm super excited for you to make friends with everyone and help the Literature Club become a more intimate place for all my members. Don't ruin that for them, alright? It would be a shame if someone here got hurt.  
> -  
> Harass me on Twitter - @booperbeanv3  
> Yell at me on Discord - booperbean#2390  
> Scream at me on Tumblr - booperbeanv3


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